Accidentally In Love
by rin-unnie
Summary: AU. What do you do when your original babysitter bails? Hire her hot brother to babysit instead of course! NaLu fluff and angst ahoy! Rated T for now but rating will change.
1. Can you babysit for me?

**A/N:** Hello. This story just overflowed out of my brain and I'm so happy with the direction it's going. I thought it was going to be short but it will be pretty hefty since I want the romance to flow nicely and not be too rushed! -Rin

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Chapter 1: Can you babysit for me?

Lucy is typing…

Lucy: Hey Wendy! Can you pretty please babysit Celi for me this weekend? PLEASE!

Wendy: Aw crap, Lucy OMG! I'm not going to be in Magnolia this weekend. I'm staying with my dad in Hargeon.

L: You're kidding! I really needed you! :'(

W: Wait hold on!

(10 minutes later)

Wendy is typing…

W: Can my brother Natsu babysit for you instead?

L: What? IDK Wendy… Does he even know how to take care of kids? You know how Celi gets sometimes. I've never met your brother before.

W: I know. He lives in Crocus but is visiting for vacation! Celi has met him before. :D

L: What?! When?

W: We video chat a lot and Celi talks up a storm with him! LOL

L: Oh gosh. Uh… let me see…

(30 minutes later and after begging several friends/acquaintances who were just in a bind as she was, she finally caved.)

L: I guess I have no choice! I'm in dire need of a babysitter! Please give me his contact information.

W: Shared Contact Information- [Big Bro Natsu 000-00010]

L: Thanks a bunch, Wendy! (prayer hands emoji)

* * *

Lucy: Hey, this is Lucy. Wendy told me you can help me with my daughter, Celeste tomorrow? Sorry it's last minute. But, thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Natsu: Hey yes. It's ok.

L: Well there are a few things I want to mention, she can be a bit of a handful… But she's a bright kid and does a lot of things on her own. She gets off her after school care program at 6pm, please don't be late to pick her up!

L: (School address link)

L: I have emergency contacts on the fridge door and a first aid kit in the kitchen. I usually have dinner prepped in the fridge, just warm it up and help yourself to anything. If you need my help or anything at all! Call me or text me PLEASE!

N: Cool ok. NP

(Pause)

Natsu is typing...

N: Do you mind if I take my cat?

L: Umm… is he house trained?

N: Yeah

L: I guess as long as he doesn't make a mess.

N: Sweet! Thx

L: No, thank you for taking on the job!

* * *

"Is Wendy coming tomorrow, mama?" the little blonde girl in pigtails wearing a purple dress sat next to her mom in their living room. Her mom looked clearly stressed as she rubbed her temples.

"Sorry baby. She's not coming but her brother is. Wendy says you know him?" her mother asked with a perplexed look. Celeste never told a lie and she was outspoken just like her mother and she was strong willed just like her daddy was.

"Really?! I like Natschu! He's so nice and he makes me laugh!" her daughter giggled and bounced on her bum on the couch.

"Do you now?" her mom asked with amusement.

"Yes! He has a cute little kitty and his hair is my favoritest color in the whole wide world!" she was standing up now as she twirled around.

Her mother laughed. "His hair is pink?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! I want to pat his head and brush his hair!" Lucy giggled at her daughter's occurrences.

Well if Celi spoke highly of this kid perhaps he wasn't that bad. Even so, she decided to take extra measures to ensure her daughter's safety. Even if he was Wendy's brother and she had known Wendy for three years now. Life had been hard on the mom so she was doubtful of who to trust.

Lucy Heartfilia is a hardworking mama and she takes pride in only two important aspects of her life. Her beautiful 5 year old daughter and her career. She was an editor for a book publishing company. They were currently working on a tight schedule for one of their new books. She was on track but one thing led to another and now her and her team were going to be working overtime this weekend to have the book ready to be published on Monday. So she was desperate.

"I think you've had way too much sugar today, pumpkin. C'mon let's get you ready for bed!"

"No, no, no bedtime!" Celi protested as her mother gave her a warning look, she complied.

After finally finishing her nightly routine with her daughter. Lucy spent the rest of her night getting things ready for the long weekend ahead. She found some of her old baby monitors that connected to her smartphone and she perched one on a shelf on top of the TV where she'd have full view of the living room and kitchen and left one in her daughter's room. Her apartment was small so it worked to her advantage.

It may be true that she was in a desperate need for allowing a stranger to take care of her daughter but she wasn't an idiot.

Finally after calling her neighbor to contact her if she heard anything strange in her house and getting the cooking and cleaning done. Lucy was exhausted. She barely managed to get into the shower and get herself ready for bed. After battling with her conscience and trying to ease her nerves at the uncertainty of tomorrow, she fell asleep.

Mornings were hectic in the Heartfilia household. Lucy awoke first and made breakfast for her and Celi. While the five year old ate, she packed their lunches and got herself ready. Celi dressed herself and help cut her mother some slack. Now if only those pesky sneakers weren't so hard to tie up. Her daughter from early on had to mature a bit early considering their circumstances.

Lucy had raised her kid all on her own. Not that it was intentional. Her husband unfortunately passed away before Lucy even gave birth.

They were both super excited to be parents even if they felt too young. Truth be told, it was a dark past she had since tried to keep in the back of her mind. She didn't have time for tears or grieving. She was going to overcome it and eventually she did.

How she got to her position and raised a pretty great kid was something she took so much pride in. Now at the age of 29, she was happy with how her life was and wouldn't change things for anything in the world.

All the sleepless nights and temper tantrums along with the hecticness of work. Were so worth it when she came home to that smiling face with her twinkly hazel eyes telling her, "I love you, mama!"


	2. Did my daughter behave?

Chapter 2: Did my daughter behave?

Fairy Tail Publishing was booming. They were leaders in children's books and young adult novels. Most of the popular kids books were from them. So they always had work to do.

Today, their entire editorial team were going over some manuscripts in the conference room. The large table was littered with manuscripts and papers. Empty mugs of coffee were already evident of their long day ahead. Lucy was going over a manuscript while her editors, Levy, Juvia, Lisanna and Cana did the same.

This particular book was a young adult novel with over 30 chapters. They decided to divide the chapters amongst the entire editorial team and then Lucy would do the final reading and hand it off the publishing staff. It seemed easy but there was a lot of time and care that things had to take in order to get the book just right so they were in a total bind.

She had been completely concentrated in her work until she saw the time. It was almost six pm. She excused herself to head to her office to speak to her new babysitter.

After a few rings, a laugh followed by a shush and then a deep but playful voice answered, "Hey Ms. Lucy."

Lucy was taken aback by the voice. She didn't know why but she was half expecting a pubescent boy answering the phone. This voice sounded like a grown man. It didn't really click in her mind that this was Wendy's older brother so he was bound to not be a teenager like her.

"Hi Natsu. Just Lucy please. Are you on your way to pick up Celeste?"

"Celeste? Oh that was today!" the voice answered.

"Yes, did you forget?" Lucy was beginning to wonder if she had made the right decision.

"Ugh, yeah sorry I don't think that-" he stopped and then a rumble of laughter ensued and then Lucy recognized the other hearty giggle that was her daughter.

She couldn't believe she fell for his act, "oh real funny, you too!" she let out a heavy sigh. For a second there, she thought she was going to have to rush out and bring her daughter to work. Which is a real nightmare. Celeste is impatient and she wouldn't get much work done with her whiny daughter mouthing off every five minutes.

"Sorry, it was Celi's idea." Natsu chuckled and then she heard her daughter in the background, "nuh uh it was your idea!"

"I was in the area so I picked her up early. I hope you don't mind. We're just eating ice cream at the creamery next to her school. Celi told me you bring her here every day."

"Well she lied to you." Lucy let out a laugh that helped ease her worry, "please don't fill her up with too much sugar or she won't be easy to handle. I left you her bedtime routine list on the kitchen counter and don't worry she can shower and dress herself for bed."

"Okay, no problem. Leave it to me !" she could feel his smile through his words.

"Just Lucy! And thank you so much again. Call me if you need anything okay?"

"Alrighty, sure."

"Can I say goodbye to my daughter?"

"Yes mama?"

"You be good to Natsu, you hear? If he tries anything you know where the house phone is right?"

"Okay and yes I know, I know."

"And who do we call if we're ever in big big trouble?"

"The police!"

"That's my girl. Goodnight pumpkin. I'll see you in the morning. I love you!"

"I love you too mommy."

With those words she hung up and held her phone on her chest as she tried to swallow the lump on her throat.

_It's going to be okay!_ She tried to calm herself.

...

"Lu, I'm exhausted. I say we take a break here and go home. We have a little over a quarter of the book done anyway."

Lucy looked around at her staff. Her three editors, Juvia and Lisanna were barely keeping their eyes open while Cana was already snoring up a storm, her head laying on the table.

They had been working really hard. Lucy only took a few chances to catch a glimpse of the cameras in her home. In one instance, she caught of glimpse of the pink-haired man running after Celi who had his black cat in an accidental chokehold. Her daughter wasn't violent but she didn't know how to care for animals. The blonde had to cup her mouth with her hands to stifle her laugh. But other than that, the night had gone smoothly. She'd have to apologize to him when she got the chance.

"I guess you're right. Erza isn't really here to call the shots so it's up to me then, right?" the blonde shrugged and looked at her blue-haired friend and then the rest of her staff who perked up at Levy's idea.

"Yeah, Lu it's 1 am. You're killing us!" Cana awoke.

"I think we're doing good time, Lucy. I know we said we'd do half the book today in order to work a half day on Sunday. But we'll just work double time tomorrow!" Lisanna beamed.

"I second that notion!" Juvia agreed.

"Alright! Alright! I'm convinced. Let's go home! I expect you all here tomorrow at 9am sharp!" Lucy tried to act bossy but her staff knew she was a big ol' softie at heart. That's why they liked working with her, she was kind but knew when to get the job done and they worked pretty great together.

The rest of them cheered as they left the table as is and gathered their things.

…

The hardworking mom rubbed one of her ankles as she unlocked her door.

She threw her heels next to the doorway and an object jumped from the couch. The living room was dark besides the hallway light that barely gave any view. She was placing her purse and keys on the coffee table when she felt something soft feel up her leg.

She gasped as she noticed the black kitty who looked up at her and continued rubbing on her leg.

"Aww, hi cutie." she bent down and scratched its head, the cat purred in response. Through peripheral vision, the blonde saw the lump on the couch straighten up.

"I see you already met Happy," the man yawned and then grinned, one arm stretched out as the other scratched his head.

"Hi Happy!" she scratched his chin, "he's really cute." she stood up and met the gaze of her babysitter.

It hadn't dawned on her that this was her first time meeting the stranger who had been with her daughter all day. Guilt welled up in her throat as she felt like such a sucky mom for trusting someone so easily. He was older than she imagined but he had a boyish charm. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and just like Celi mentioned his hair was a bright pink. He looked at her with tired eyes and a soft smile.

"Hey there. Thank you so much, seriously." she bit her lip, hoping her question would get the answer she wanted to hear, "so how was she? I hope she didn't cause you any trouble?"

"She was good. Yeah, you got a great kid there!" his smile was genuine.

"Really? Oh great! She's so smart and very mature for her age. I guess I did pretty good at this parenting thing." she egged herself on, "but she's impatient and persistent. I don't know where she gets it from!" Lucy rolled her eyes at her words.

Natsu gave her a questionable look. _I think from you…_ He wanted to say but stopped himself. He nodded at the blonde as she continued her rambling. She began to fidget with the items in her purse. He couldn't help but look at the mom of the little girl, he had been taking care of all day. Celi was the exact carbon copy of Lucy just smaller, her daughter's hair was slightly more of a strawberry blonde, however, and her eyes were hazel. In her black blazer and white button up she looked way older than him but Wendy had told him she was in her 20s too. He was going to get his sister for putting him in this predicament in the first place but Celi was a good kid so his sister was lucky she'd only get a nudge on the head for this.

"Here, I paid for the extra hours as well. Thank you again. Sorry I keep sounding like a broken record." she laughed dryly.

"Wait, I get paid too?!" Natsu asked with a wide grin.

"Of course! Did Wendy not tell you?" She asked dumbfoundedly.

"No. The dang brat! This is awesome!" he grabbed the cash happily, "thank you, Ms. Lucy!"

"Just Lucy. Please, you make me feel older than what I already am!"

"Heh, okay Luce." he said nonchalantly. Um, sure she'll take it, anything's better than being called Miss.

"I'll have you know. I JUST turned 29. I'm already feeling old enough as it is." Lucy rubbed her temples.

"That's not old! At least you don't look it." he grinned.

"Thanks!" she slightly blushed, she loved to be told she looked younger than her age, "I can count on you to be here at 8:30am tomorrow right?"

"I'll be here." he gave her a salute.

They exchanged goodbyes and Natsu took his cat. Lucy went to check on her daughter's sleeping form, leaving a kiss on her forehead. She continued to her nightly duties. She began to clean her living room and prepare for the next day. He may not be clean like his sister but her daughter was taken care of and that was enough for her.

She was finishing up when she decided to check if there was enough juices and snacks for Celi. She immediately was aghast as a large Tupperware with food was missing. She had cooked a big batch of jambalaya rice with chicken that would last for a few days and to her surprise. She looked in the sink and there was the tupperware, completely empty of its contents. What the heck? There was no way a little girl and one man could've finished all that in one day.

With a heavy sigh, she took out a frozen roast to defrost overnight. She'd have to cook something in the morning then. She shut off the lights with a yawn and headed to her room.

* * *

**A/N: **20 bucks to whoever guesses who is the daddy of Celeste. JK but c'mon guessss! 1st chapter was short so here's chapter 2. :D -Rin

Also leave me a review for clear skin and good vibes ~*


	3. Do you need help?

**A/N: **Hello! I decided to post this early! I'm so thankful for the response this has gotten! There may be chapters that will be a bit on the mature side (sensitive topics/language/explicit themes) so I will change the rating in the future when I get to those topics. I hope that is okay… -Rin

ALSO: I loved your guesses! Unfortunately, baby daddy gets revealed NEXT chapter. I like the Natsu guesses that would be cute but it is not him, the correct guess is there but I won't say who guessed it correctly, heheh. Strawberry blonde hair not light pink (if that's how some of you think it looks) it is more of a light coppery blonde... ANYWAYS enjoy the story!

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Chapter 3: Do you need help?

The blonde mother had gotten used to her daughter and her random bouts of anger. But today she was particularly not having any patience with her, who just so happened to wake up at the wrong side of the bed. She whined when she changed her PJ's for a dress and when she brushed her hair. Her whining hadn't gone unnoticed by the mom in the least bit but as she continued dressing herself and applying her makeup, she managed to tune her out.

"Mama, I don't want cereal!" she shoved the bowl away.

"I didn't have a chance to make breakfast. Just eat that!" she had been busy preparing lunch that she hardly had the time to cook again.

"No! I don't wanna!" she was huffing and kicking in her chair, arms crossed in front of her.

Lucy was fastening her earrings when she heard the doorbell. Great, the babysitter was early. Thank the heavens. Maybe he'd calm her down while she finished getting ready. She ran to the door eagerly.

"Good morning! You're early." Lucy smiled, her composure faltered as she stared at the man before her. Last night she hadn't gotten a good look at him but today he was not the same as yesterday. Maybe it was the morning sun that gave him a halo around him or her overly exhausted mind but he looked surprisingly good looking as she gawked at the tanned man in a black tank top, he was ripped. Sh*t, she wasn't expecting that. Yesterday he had an oversized hoodie. Her eyes wandered to his red dragon silhouette tattoo on his shoulder. She composed herself before her guest noticed.

"Yeah, I didn't calculate my time that well and I managed to bring a couple of breakfast sandwiches too." he grinned and held up a brown paper bag on his other hand he had his carrier with his cat inside. A charming smile that could ignite anyone.

"Natschu and Happy!" Celi ran to the pinkette on the doorway and hugged his leg.

"Hey you, you hungry?" he patted her head.

"Starving!" she scoffed, "mommy didn't want to cook today!" She gave her mom a "hmph" with a pout and then smiled at her babysitter, dragging him to the dining table by his wrist.

"I made you lunch and dinner instead! It's your problem if you didn't want to eat cereal!" the mom fought with her daughter and Natsu couldn't help but chuckle at their farce.

Lucy was struggling with a necklace while she looked at her reflection in a mirror by the hallway. Through all the commotion she hadn't been able to put the clasp on. She grunted with frustration. The mom was wearing these star earrings that had a chain that dangled a small moon. Her necklace had the same stars, which went well with her business casual outfit, a loose navy sleeveless dress with small white stars along the collar and beige flats, because the heels killed her yesterday. It was Saturday anyway.

"You need help there?" Natsu came up from behind. He had noticed the grunts coming from the blonde.

"Do you mind? Sorry I just can't get the dang clasp to hook." she handed him her necklace and moved her hair to the side.

Natsu had a dilemma. Wendy was teasing him last night while they were video chatting about his day with Celi and asking him what he thought about Lucy.

Well, the day was fine. Celi behaved and Lucy was a bit frantic but she was nice. That was it. He hadn't thought much of it.

But she pestered and pestered until finally admitting that Lucy was indeed good looking, not really his type. But he didn't deny it. He was a man after all. But her teasing actually got him more flustered than he wanted to admit. He didn't like talking about certain topics with his little sister and yesterday she crossed the line with her snarky comment, 'and don't you dare get any ideas of sleeping with my friend just because she has big tits.'

Sure, he was a bit of an easy going guy (he's a playboy but he'd never admit it) and somewhat public on his affairs, parties on the weekends when he'd dance with a random girl on certain occasions, the dancing became more and he'd end up in the backseat of his car. But he didn't think she of all people knew that. He'd have to get Sting for talking crap again in front of his little sister. There was no other explanation.

Anyway, that never even crossed his mind. He hadn't even seen her tits until today, they were obstructed by her dress but they were entirely evident as her dress snugged at the widest part of her breasts. He hadn't paid attention to that but now he was. He wasn't sure what was it that flustered him, if it was the comment coming from his little sister or that he did find the blonde attractive.

He was staring, the burning words of his sisters teasing seared into his brain. So much for not getting ideas. Especially now as he looked down at her, her bare neck and part of her upper chest exposed, Lucy was older than him but Natsu towered over her and he had a pretty good view of what she was packing up top. With suave hands he grabbed her necklace, her hair tickled his forearms as he clasped the contraption, his hands quickly retracted to his sides.

"Thank you. I have butter fingers, I tell you." she gave him a grin and walked towards the dining table. Natsu caught a glimpse of his reflection before leaving, there were remnants of light pink on the apples of his cheek. _What the hell dude. Get a grip! _He muttered in his head.

"Are you done being a cranky pants?" Lucy bent down to be at eye level with Celeste.

"Yes, mama." she bit into her egg sandwich.

"Good!" she kissed her cheek, leaving a red lip stain on her face.

"Eww!" she wiped her face and Lucy giggled at her.

"There's an extra sandwich there, if ya want it." Natsu sat next to the child.

"Really? You sure?"

"Yeah I already ate." he smiled.

"Oh, okay. I was wondering because I know you seem to have a good appetite."

"Huh?" he raised an eyebrow at her. Wait, how did she know?

"Nothing," she chuckled to herself, if he didn't get what she meant, she wasn't going to bring it up, maybe he'd get embarrassed. She remembered the large container of rice he managed to scarf down in one evening. "Thanks for the sandwich." Lucy trekked back into her room to gather the rest of her things to leave.

She emerged with a shawl over her dress and her purse.

"I'm leaving now, pumpkin." Lucy was checking through her purse to make sure she wasn't missing anything, "you be good to Natsu. Don't cause him or _Happy_ trouble, am I clear?" she hadn't forgotten yesterday's shenanigans of her daughter carrying the cat incorrectly.

"Yes, mama!"

"Oh, and Natsu, I have a pot roast on the slow cooker. It should be ready in four hours. So you can please turn it off and you both can help yourselves to it. I made rice also it's in the fridge."

"Sure, no problem." he was petting his cat.

"Bye baby, I love you." Lucy ruffled her daughters hair.

"I love you too, mama!"

"Bye, Natsu thank you again! You have my number if you need me!"

"Bye Luce," he nodded and smiled as he and Celi waved at her as she got into her silver sedan.

As Lisanna had mentioned yesterday, the editorial staff was doing good time. Perhaps they could have half of Sunday off after all. What was once more of a hopeful thing now was looking like a reality. They were working in uniformity with each other. Taking coffee breaks in between. Lucy in moments would check her cameras and things were going good in her house.

Natsu had laid out a big puzzle on the coffee table for them to work on and she could see her daughter get frustrated as she forced a piece into the wrong spot, throwing it on the floor when it didn't fit.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?" Lisanna passed by and caught a glimpse at Lucy's phone.

"My daughter is hilarious," Lucy tried to calm her laughter, "she keeps putting the wrong pieces on the puzzle and when they don't fit, she gets a fit and throws them!"

Lisanna laughed and then squinted her eyes, "wait, is that Natsu?"

"Yeah, actually. Do you know him?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Yes, we went to middle school together." Lisanna answered. "We've been friends for years!"

"Really? Wow, small world! Then I guess I can trust him." she eased into her chair.

"Oh, he's hot!" Cana showed up from behind both of them. "Nice babysitter you got there Lu! No wonder you were smiling at your phone all day." she snickered.

"It's not like that. He's helping me take care of Celeste because my usual babysitter can't." Lucy paused at her sudden realization at what Lisanna mentioned before, "wait, Lis, did you say middle school?"

Lisanna was younger than Lucy.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Wait… he's 23?!"


	4. How old are you?

Chapter 4: How old are you?

"Wait… he's 23?!" the blonde gasped.

"Why are you so surprised?" Lisanna gave her an amused look.

"He just looked older is all." Lucy shrugged as she continued looking at the footage on her phone. She knew he was in his 20s but she thought maybe 26 or so. At least now she knew that he wasn't all that bad if he's friends with Lisanna. She had known the white-haired girl for years now and they worked really well together.

The girls went back to their task as they continued their work with no delays. The hours flew by and they had been so concentrated. They hadn't noticed it was past dark.

This time it was Cana who was impatiently biting her lip as she looked over a manuscript that she held tightly in her hand. "Lucy, we're way ahead of schedule. Please let's go home!" she groaned, "well, I'm not going home but I do have a hot date waiting for me."

Lucy peered over at the brunette through her reading glasses that dangled at the bridge of her nose, "let me guess, your hot date is at a bar somewhere?" a smirk escaped her lips.

"How ever did you know?" she faked a shock look on her face, "it's 10pm on a Saturday night. Please, girl! I'll buy you a drink!"

"I actually could go for a beer." Levy joined in and then the rest of the girls all chimed in. Each of them looking at Lucy with pleading eyes.

"Ugh, you're all so lazy!" she joked with a smug, "fine! But only because we did really good time today."

She received cheers from the team and then a sad look when she told them she would not be joining them on their night. After a few minutes of begging for the blonde to join them. Lucy managed to text out the words to her babysitter recipient;

_Lucy: Hey Natsu, we finished a bit early today! Would it be alright if I had a few drinks with my coworkers? I promise not to take long!_

_Wendy's Bro (Natsu): Sure LOL she's asleep anyway_

The blonde mom's eyes gleamed at the response. She should take a break once in awhile. It was true that she never had her own leisure time. Lucy was all work and no play. She decided to relax a little tonight. The five girls made their way to a bar close by with Juvia as the designated driver. They all left their cars in the jobsite's parking lot fully intending to get lost in their inebriated minds.

"We are not getting carried away now, we have work tomorrow girls!" Lucy stated at the rowdy bunch in the car.

"Don't be sucha party pooper!" Cana groaned.

"We'll be at work bright and early tomorrow, don't worry, Lu." Levy smiled and the rest of the gang agreed that they'd party now and work later.

The aftermath of their "party time" drew to an end after a few hours. By the time they had decided to leave, Levy and Lisanna had already gone home with their significant others who came to pick up the stumbling duo. Cana had left with a mystery man and the only ones left were Juvia and Lucy.

"Are you sure you can pick me up tomorrow, Juve?" Lucy asked from the passenger seat. They were in Juvia's car. She was driving the mom home.

"Yeah, don't worry! I'll be on time, I just have to drop my boyfriend off at the airport and afterwards I'll be there bright and early." her friend assured her.

"Thank you. Sorry it's just I know I only had a few beers but I rather be safe…" she trailed off. she really felt like a buzzkill right about now.

"Don't worry about it, Lu. It was fun. I know we didn't have nearly as much fun as the other three, though!" she laughed.

They chitchatted the rest of the way. Juvia's life was more exciting than Lucy's as her boyfriend was a steward for an airline and the duo often got free trips from the company. So the bluenette went on about her trips while Lucy listened and laughed along with her.

Lucy said her goodbyes to Juvia and headed to her home. She felt pretty content that she had made an effort to socialize and do something for herself for once.

A yawn escaped her throat as she ventured into her living room. Lucy's apartment was small, her living room was to the left with a L-shaped gray couch with a large light pink shaggy rug, a black coffee table in the middle with a stack of children's books. Her flat screen TV stood in front of the couch on a matching black entertainment center with bookshelves on either sides filled with books and a few picture frames. Her light pink walls were barren besides a silver abstract painting. To the left was a small kitchen with white cabinets and a stacked washer and dryer in the corner, a small four-seater black dining table in front of the kitchen, a few of Celeste's toys littered throughout the entire place. In between the living and kitchen was a hallway with a large mirror, with two doors on either side that led to the bedrooms and another door at the end of the hallway where the guest bathroom was. The apartment was dark, the only light coming from the TV. Her babysitter and his cat sat on her couch.

"Hi, I didn't think you'd be awake," she asked the pinkette as she placed her belongings on the coffee table, a delicate hand scratched the kitty from his position on top of his master's criss crossed legs on the couch.

"Eh, I started watching this movie and it got really good."

"Hi there." she cooed at the ball of black fluff.

"So how was she today? I know you had her all day this time. Must've been a lot for you, huh?" she eyed Natsu apologetically.

"No. Not at all. She's actually really we behaved. I've seen other kids that Wendy has taken care of and they're not nearly as sweet as Cel."

"Pft." Lucy chuckled, "she's just that good at hiding the monster inside her," she was being a bit too casual with him. He looked at her confused and then grinned.

"Maybe she gets it from her mom." Natsu snickered now. Lucy's smile turned upside down which caused Natsu to stiffen. _Too soon to joke around?_

Suddenly, a cackle erupted from her throat, "you're totally right." she shook her head, "she's all me when it comes to my faults. I wish she had turned out more like her dad at times, though," she said dryly and sat down next to him on the couch and exhaled loudly. Maybe it was the alcohol but she felt the words come out easily. She didn't mention Celeste's dad at all. She was more reserved than that. Her only confidant had been Levy.

But her daughter knew who her dad was and what he looked like. Lucy always showed her pictures of them when they were dating. Since she was a baby, her mother always visited his grave on the day of his birthday because to him, birthdays were special things to celebrate with loved ones.

Natsu looked at Lucy as she nervously mentioned her ex, without thinking he asked, "what do you mean?" he bit his lip right after. He shouldn't pry but he was curious. Celeste had said something yesterday about visiting her daddy soon. Wendy only mentioned little details that she knew. Which really wasn't much either. She was a mystery to him. He could read people based on their actions but she, she was hard to read. A woman who almost looked too composed from a distance until you got closer and saw the sadness behind her smile and the dullness in her eyes.

"Well," she hesitated, "he was so strong-willed and a bit of a charmer," a smile escaped her lips, "he definitely had more courage and confidence than I did… He was so excited, you know, I-" she trailed off.

"It's ok. You don't have to talk about it." he was staring intently at her, his body was tense and she looked frail next to him.

"I wasn't ready to be a mom." she blurted out loud, it was one of those things that had been trapped inside her that had weighed heavily in her soul. She had been the bigger person this whole time, the years slipped by and the words became a strain in her "perfect" life. Natsu was taken aback by her revelation. His eyes fixated on her tense manicured hands that fidgeted with the hem of her dress.

"But Loke, he-" she felt her eyes sting and her lower lip quivered at his name, a name she didn't say much, a name that bore so many sad memories, "he was ready. I didn't want to do it alone. But, when I had the little thing in my arms, I knew I had to suck it up, you know. No matter how much I missed him, I had to care for her because she was a part of him too..." She held her breath, her eyes burned with tears she tried to hold back. Something about him sitting there deadpanned and listening intently at her, made her keep talking.

"I felt so bad for even having these thoughts… for awhile I felt pretty shitty." she had been looking down but she looked up at him now, her eyes were red and the blush on her cheeks was blotchy from the alcohol.

Why was she telling him all this? She didn't know herself but now that she was in the predicament already, she couldn't hold herself back. She ought to thank the booze for that. The last time she drank anything was probably eons ago, she did enjoy an occasional glass of wine on holidays. But she was definitely a bit tipsy. She was finally releasing some of the tension that had made a dam in her conscience, the crack in the dam growing as her words slipped out.

Natsu didn't know what to do. He felt like a jerk for even asking, he placed his hand on her shoulder and met her eyes, her lipstick had rubbed off and her lips were red and swollen from her nervously chewing on them but she still looked beautiful as she tucked her hair behind her ear, he had been staring. He cleared his throat and said softly, "Celeste is a good kid and she loves you to death. She kept saying today how much she missed you. I think you've done a pretty good job so far." That was the best thing he could come up with and he felt pretty damn proud of himself. He wasn't exactly a comforting guy but he tried. Shit, he hardly knew the woman.

"Really? She says that?" she blinked away the tears from her eyes.

"Yes." he nodded and moved his hand from her shoulder.

"That pesky kid. She really is a handful but I love her." she laid her head back on the couch, the tears escaping now, "ugh, sorry. I hate drinking beer, it makes me so emotional," she laughed through her sobs.

Natsu chuckled, "sometimes the best thing to do is to let it all out."

"You must think I'm crazy." she sniffled and glanced at him, he was petting his sleeping cat on his lap who got annoyed and jumped off.

"Not crazier than your daughter that's for sure."

Lucy laughed dryly, "I wouldn't start a war with the Heartfilia's if I were you, we're two tough cookies..."

Natsu chuckled and he was about to say something when he heard light snoring coming from the blonde, she was slumped on the couch with the most calm look on her face.

_I guess that's my cue to leave. _Natsu thought to himself.

He really wanted to leave. He wanted to go home. But the blonde mom had slumped over to his shoulder. He stiffened as he felt the weight of her head and her hair tickle his bare arm. He bit the inside of his cheek. She looked so peaceful he didn't want to wake her. If he wanted to overthink it, he sort of felt bad for her now that he knew her story.

It definitely wasn't something easy to live with. He wasn't one to judge as his own skeletons in his closet laughed at his situation. Taunting him. _I guess everyone has something they aren't proud of. _He thought to himself.

For tonight, he'd let the blonde overworked mom nuzzle on his shoulder. Maybe it was her warmth that exuded from her but he found himself laying his head on hers as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: **Hiya! I hope you like that little fluffy moment. AND YES ITS LOKE LOL I love their friendship so much. NaLu is my OTP but LoLu and GrayLu are the crackships that pull on my heartstrings! I hope you liked the chapter! Next chapter will be up in a few days. -Rin

Again leave a review for clear skin and good grades~


	5. What are you two doing?

Chapter 5: What are you two doing?

"What are you two doing?"

Lucy heard her daughter call out to her. Why was she so noisy in the mornings? Her eyes darted open at the current predicament she was in. She fell asleep on the couch last night. She knew that but what she didn't expect was for Natsu to be in her house, she thought he had left, their bodies had leaned sideways and the man was practically hugging her as his body was turned to the side one arm on top of her, and now they both sat upright awkwardly as the little girl with the bedhead wearing mismatched pajamas with her hands on her hips and a raised eyebrow gawking at the two, it became even weirder where it seemed that even Happy was giving them a look as he was perched on the coffee table with judgement in his little beady green eyes.

"Good morning to you too pumpkin, what do you mean? I fell asleep on the couch." Lucy blushed, she really was at a loss for words. She was embarrassed she fell asleep and even more embarrassed that she had let herself be so vulnerable and reveal so much of what she chose to keep shut for so long. Besides feeling a slight headache she felt rested, but still she couldn't deny the slight flutter of her heart when she noticed the pinkette next to her to which she was completely oblivious of. Her eyes met Natsu's who gave her an apologetic smile his eyes practically screaming, 'I'm sorry'.

Celeste wasn't buying it. But her mom stood up now, leaving the sight of her watchful eyes.

"Well, since I'm awake so early, I'm making breakfast! Are you hungry?"

"Yes! I'm so hungry mama!"

"Natsu, are you hungry?"

"Starving, actually." he scratched the back of his neck, he was more than embarrassed to say the least.

It was a funny sight. Natsu didn't know what to make of the situation he was in. He had slept (and cuddled) at the house of his "boss" if you will and now he was sharing a meal, sitting next to the kid he had been taking care of for the past two days, that wasn't out of the ordinary. What was strange is having her mother there too. Not that he didn't mind but seeing them have a conversation and then Lucy scowling at her daughter to eat her fruit too. He felt out of place and yet their atmosphere was so inviting.

Lucy ever so often smiled at him and asked him questions about Celi or the food. They had talked briefly while the blonde was cooking, of Lucy falling asleep on his shoulder to which she apologized and they just laughed it off. But they both couldn't help but feel flustered from it.

Celi had gone to the living room to play with her toys. So it was just the adults sitting at the table. Lucy was talking about her job and the work that was waiting for her and out of sheer curiosity and to stop herself from talking so much, she asked the pinkette, "so, Natsu what do you do for a living, your sister told me you live in Crocus?"

"Yeah, I build things over there." he said nonchalantly. Vague answer but Lucy was already curious at this point.

"Like an architect?"

"No, like actually build things! The manual labor." He smiled and flexed his arm slightly out of habit. He's had this conversation before with the girls he'd rendezvous with that it was almost a force of habit to flex and show off but he stopped himself and only slightly flexed an arm. Lucy couldn't help but glance at his bare arms again, his red dragon tattoo looked really nice in contrast to his tan skin. That would explain his physique.

"That's amazing! What have you built?" she looked away from his arms and concentrated her gaze on his face.

"Do you know that skyscraper in Crocus that they recently opened?"

"Yes I saw that on an article somewhere! It looks amazing!" she sounded genuinely interested and excited, "you built that?!"

"I was one of the foremen in that project."

Lucy looked so intrigued and interested in his work that he actually rambled and continued talking about his work shenanigans and daily tasks. For once, it felt easy to talk to someone else other than his sister about his daily life. He had friends but dudes kind of just hang and talk about stupid stuff. It doesn't help that Sting was more of playing video games and Rogue wasn't even listening to him in the first place. So this was nice actually.

They stopped their chat so Lucy could clean up the kitchen and get ready for work.

Natsu and Celeste were coloring in the coffee table when Lucy emerged out of her room, showered and dressed ready for work. He couldn't help but stare as she looked into the hallway mirror to check her lipstick. She was wearing normal clothes. He had been so used to seeing her in work attire that seeing her come out in tight high-waisted jeans and a flowy off the shoulder crop top with bell sleeves that accentuated her chest and gave her a slight cleavage, a sliver of her abdomen barely peeking through her waistline, to which she adjusted her shirt to cover herself. Her hair was in a high ponytail. She looked surprisingly hot and holy crap, she had an ass too! If she hadn't been much of his type before, she was now. Not that her looks were the only thing but it definitely was a major factor now. Yet he'd never act on his impulses, though. He was promiscuous but there was a time and a place. _Shit, was I really just thinkin' about screwing a mom, what the heck is wrong with me? _he asked himself and mentally shook his head at such thoughts.

Natsu had to clear his throat and look away. But little did he know that he was being watched and the little girl had a huge smug look on her face. Celi was about to say something when a knock on the door interrupted her.

"That must be Juvia!" the blonde mom walked towards her front door, "baby, mom's leaving now ok?" She glanced at her daughter who was drawing something, she sat on her knees next to the coffee table with her tongue half out in concentration.

"Okay. Bye mommy." her gaze fixated on her drawing.

"Come say hi to mommy's friend, Celeste." Lucy spoke to her daughter again. Juvia had appeared next to Lucy.

"Hey." Natsu waved at the bluenette.

"Hi! You must be Natsu!" she smiled, "I'm Juvia. Lucy's friend and coworker. Take care of little Celi, okay?"

"Of course!" he smiled back.

"Hi Juvie!" Celeste got up and gave her a hug.

"You are just getting bigger everyday, aren't you?" Juvia patted her head.

"Yes! I'm going to get even bigger so that I will be the biggetest in my whole class!" the girl responded.

The two women laughed. Lucy and Juvia said their goodbyes and Lucy asked Natsu before she left if he was going to be okay. He responded with, "you got it, miss, uh Luce!" and with that said. She left with no worries.

"Hey Natschu," Celi was continuing her drawing.

"What's up, Cel?"

"Why were you staring at mama?" Natsu was dumbfounded. How did she catch that? It wasn't even that long of a stare.

"I wasn't," he grabbed a paper too and started doodling something.

"I saw you, Natschu. You were looking."

"She had something in her hair," yeah, that's it.

Celeste gave the pink-haired man a scrunched up face that not even he believed his own lie. That made him laugh out loud, "I just thought she looked nice."

That brought a smile to the little girl's face, "my mommy is very pretty! I think is because she looks like me!"

Natsu chuckled at her response and then held out his crayon masterpiece to show the girl, "this is for you. Whaddya think?"

It was a crudely drawn Happy colored in blue and then the little girl crudely drawn in yellow who was holding the cat in her arms, the cats little legs dangling and an angry look on his face.

"Whoa! Natschu, you are an artist!" Celi cupped her face in amazement, "I love it!" she gave him a soft hug, "thank you!"

The pinkette blushed at her adorableness. Then an idea popped into his head, "hey, how about we go to the park nearby?"

The question made the little girl's hazel eyes twinkle and a huge grin adorned her face.

"Park! Yay! I have to change!" she ran happily to her room.

Then Natsu realized he wasn't sure if he could take her to the park. He only knew Lucy for a little while but she was overprotective of her daughter and a bit of a nervous wreck, with hopeful hands he sent her a text for permission, she was a quick responder as she was already typing something as her thought bubble appeared on his phone screen.

_Celi's mom (Lucy) is typing..._

_Celi's mom (Lucy): Yes but please be careful! Call me if anything._

He shut off his phone and went to search for the missing kid.

"Hey kiddo, ya ready?" he knocked on her door.

"No!" she cried.

"What's wrong?" he spoke through the door, his hand laced over the handle in case she was in trouble.

"I don't wanna go no more." she sniffled.

"Why not? You alright? Can I come in?"

"Okay." she said quietly.

He found Celi sitting in front of her toy version of a vanity table. She had changed into a pink t-shirt and jeans. Her hairbrush was stuck to the back of her head. Natsu laughed out loud, "what happened?"

"Is not funny! I can't brush my hair."

"Here, let me see what I can do here." he got closer as he noticed there was a knot of light coppery blonde tresses stuck on the brush bristles. He began to softly brush her hair.

"Mama usually does my hair," she wiped a tear from her cheek, "thank you, Natschu."

"No problem. If you need my help for anything. Just tell me, 'kay?"

"'kay!" She grinned at him through the little mirror as Natsu had done a messy ponytail, "now let's go play!"

Their park day had been a lot of fun for the little blonde and even his babysitter was playing with her. They played on the swings and Celi loved the slide most of all. Natsu was sitting down now as he kept an eye on the little girl who was playing with another kid.

A pregnant woman sat beside him. She groaned as she held her belly and yelled something at her son.

Natsu was taking pictures of Celi to send to Lucy when the pregnant lady turned her attention to him, "your daughter is so cute."

"Oh, she's not-" he had a flushed face, what does he say in these situations? "I'm just the babysitter."

She chuckled, "Sorry! You both look so close!"

Celi was walking towards Natsu. Her cheeks were red from playing and her ponytail had since fell, her messy hair swayed softly at her sides. "Natschu! I'm beat!" she fanned herself with her hand.

"Do ya wanna go home then?" the pinkette asked and then he smiled, "or do ya want ice cream?"

"Yay! Ice cream!"

...

At Fairy Tail Publishing, the editorial team were near finishing their work. The clock on the wall showed that it was 4:30 pm. As they were nearing the end of their manuscripts. The eager staff was already smiling in anticipation. They were anticipating the end of this annoying task as well as the two days off they will get after working overtime on the weekend.

The staff was now looking at Lucy as she gave one quick look at the final manuscript that she held gingerly in her grasp, the rim of her glasses slipping of the bridge of her nose.

"Okay! Wow!" she let out a loud 'PHEW' and let the manuscript fall to the table. Everyone was cheering and thanking each other for a job well done. Even Cana surprised everyone when she brought out a bottle of wine out of her purse.

"What? I prepared for the occasion!"

Coffee mugs were filled with wine instead and the staff relaxed a bit before heading home.

Lucy was on her way home when her phone rang. It was Natsu. She hadn't even told him they were finished but she wanted to surprise her daughter.

She answered the call, "It's a good thing you called! I'm actually on my-"

"Ms. Lucy," he sounded really distraught and her heart sank to the soles of her feet, "I'm so sorry. It's Cel. Damn it… She had a bad reaction-... We're at the hospital. I didn't-" she hung up the phone before he could finish.

* * *

**A/N: **I wanted to include a step daddy bonding moments lol. Sorry about the cliffhanger! But I'm posting two chapters today!


	6. What happened to my daughter?

Chapter 6: What happened to my daughter?

Sometimes when situations put you in a state of turmoil, one oftens makes bold decisions with little regard to the consequences. In this case a frantic mom trying to get to her daughter who is in the hospital and driving recklessly in order to get there sooner. The blonde took a blunt U-turn at an intersection and sped through traffic. Weaving through the slow cars. She was a nervous wreck. She was shaking and could barely control herself from crying.

What had happened to her daughter?

When she arrived at the emergency room. Natsu was in the waiting room, his hands were on his face with his elbows propped on his knees. She could tell he looked really distressed

When he looked up, he saw her. His entire body winced. He was half expecting for Lucy to curse at him or hit him but besides her obviously quaking body and the worried expression etched on her face she calmly asked, "where is she?" she was looking at him but her mind was somewhere else.

He opened his mouth to answer when the doctor came out of the emergency room.

"So, Natsu, you said?"

"Yeah but her mom is here now." he stood up to stand next to Lucy.

"What's going on doctor? Where is my daughter?!" Lucy was losing her patience. The uncertainty of not knowing what was wrong was driving her insane.

"You're Ms. Morningstar? I'm Dr. Macao."

"Heartfilia. What happened to her doctor?"

"She was in anaphylactic shock. She got it from eating peanuts. Luckily, your husband got here when he did and we were able to treat her quickly before her airways constricted. Rocky road ice cream, correct?" he asked Natsu to which he nodded. He ignored the husband comment, too worried about Celi to care.

Lucy felt a huge wave of relief and then a realization, "but Celeste isn't allergic to peanuts. How did this happen?" the doctor's comment hadn't gone unnoticed but she didn't have the energy to correct him.

"Sometimes allergies develop later in life or they can be hereditary. Are either of you allergic to peanuts?" he asked the pair.

"He's not her dad," Lucy corrected him now, "but my late husband was deathly allergic to nuts. I guess I should've been prepared for this," she bit her lip, feeling ashamed that she didn't plan ahead.

"Don't beat yourself up. There was no way you could've predicted this. Genetics are strange…" he scratched his scruffy 5 o'clock shadow.

The doctor continued his explanation and she filled out forms. She was more calm now. Her daughter was going to be okay and it was thanks to Natsu's quick thinking that had her daughter alive and well. They finally made their way inside Celeste's room. She was awake fidgeting with the bed's remote controller, an IV drip stuck on her left arm.

"Mama! Natschu!" she cried out, but her voice was wheezy from the slight damage the shock did.

"My baby!" Lucy practically ran to her and kissed her forehead.

"Mommy, the doctor told me I can't eat PB&J sandwiches anymore." she frowned. Lucy let out a slight laugh. She was just glad her daughter was safe. She wanted to cry from being stressed out to feeling overwhelmed by it all. She looked over at Natsu who was still tensely looking down on the floor. He had been sitting on the recliner away from them, one of his legs still shakily stepping on the floor.

"Natsu?" Lucy called out. He looked up at her with a guilt-ridden eyes. He felt like he failed them. He tried to compose himself and stood up.

"Y-yeah?" He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.

Before he could react the blonde had him laced in a hug. Natsu felt himself relax in her embrace, her body was warm and inviting against his. Her head rested on his chest for a moment. She smelled like lavender and honey and he felt himself calming down.

"Thank you so much." she felt herself sniffle, "you really saved my baby's life." she let go and gave him a small smile.

Whatever battle he was fighting with himself was swayed away. Just earlier he felt like he failed her and Celeste. But Lucy's words eased his mind.

He smiled softly back unsure of what to say.

They were going to keep Celeste overnight with fluids just for precaution but she was back to being a healthy annoying kid. Natsu had been talking about different kinds of things with nuts when Lucy interrupted them.

"Natsu, can we talk outside?"

They were in the hallway when she suggested if he wanted to go home. To which he rejected. He honestly felt really bad and wanted to stay with Celeste until she fell asleep. Until he was sure that she was going to be okay.

"Alright then, well if you need to go or something, you can, okay?

"Sure, Luce. You don't mind if I stay right?"

"No, not at all." she grinned, "also, this is for yesterday and today. I'm sorry for all the trouble we've caused you. You must've been pretty freaked out. I know I would've been too," she gnawed on her lower lip and held out cash she had taken out of her jeans pocket.

"I can't take that," Natsu scratched the back of his neck, he still felt remorseful and he felt he didn't deserve it. He pushed her hand away but kept his hand on top of hers.

"I insist, Natsu you- you went through all that trouble for us and you saved Celeste… I owe you so much," her voice became hoarse. She pushed her hand forward with his intact.

"Um, think of it as that's what friends are for," he grinned and used both his hands now to push hers away. He noticed Lucy's stunned look. "we are friends now, is that cool?" his smile never faltered.

She clenched her fists, "I-... okay," she pursed her lips, "but at least let me repay you with some good food then."

Natsu snickered, "that I wouldn't mind."

"Good!" she grinned, "dinner at my house tomorrow! Oh and bring Wendy. She comes back tonight right?"

They retreated back to the room and they played with Celeste. She was really good at playing 'I spy' and Natsu would often guess the wrong things in order to make the little girl laugh.

After Lucy had brought sandwiches from the hospitals food court. They ate together and they were watching a kids movie that Celi and Natsu were interested in but the mom was barely keeping herself awake. She was sitting on a chair next to the bed, while Natsu was in the recliner. The past few days had finally caught up to her overworked body.

"Hey Luce, if you wanna take a nap you can." Natsu asked after her fifth yawn.

"I'm sorry it's just- I've had a long weekend." she smiled sheepishly. She stared at the time on her phone it was almost 8 pm, "if you don't mind… just a quick power nap."

"Here, let's switch and you can take the recliner."

"You can sleep in the bed with me, mama!" her daughter interjected.

"Aww, no baby. I'll stay in the recliner tonight. You just rest so we can go home early in the morning." she gave her daughter a quick kiss and got up to walk to the recliner.

"Okay! I don't like hopitals mama."

"Me neither!" Natsu shuddered as he sat next to Celeste.

"Please just wake me up in like 30 minutes, Natsu. I'll sleep again when Celi goes to bed." Lucy said softly as she reclined herself in the chair. She was quick to drift off so that all you could hear was the TV and her faint snoring.

"Natschu, thank you for saving me. I was so scared. I couldn't breathe." Celi began to cry.

"Aww, don't cry. I would never let anything bad happen to you as long as we're friends. Alright?" he placed his large rough hand on her little one.

"I didn't want mama to know how scared I was," she wiped her tears with the back of her hands.

"Cel, you have to tell your mom everything so she can help you too."

"But, she already works so hard and I don't wanna stress her." she was genuinely concerned for her mother.

"But she loves you and she will do anything to make you feel better." Natsu smiled at her.

She smiled softly, "my mama is really strong."

"Yes, more than she knows herself, I think."

"Natschu?"

"What's up Cel?"

"This is for you." Celi took out a crumbled piece of paper that she took out of her shorts.

"Really?" he opened up the paper to reveal a drawing of 4 stick figures in a grassy place with a tree and a sun in the background. He could tell it was Lucy, him, Wendy and Celeste holding hands and a little black blob next to her which he could only assume was Happy. He couldn't help but grin brightly, "wow! Thank you, Cel. You're an artist too!" he ruffled her hair and folded the piece of paper and placed it in his jeans pocket.

They continued their movie in silence and it wasn't long after that both blondes were snoring softly. Without waking them, the pink-haired babysitter left them to rest.

* * *

**A/N: **So Loke doesn't have a last name. But idk which fic I read that used Morningstar as his last name and I think it's cool so I kept that. Plus Celeste Morningstar is an adorable name. Anyway sorry it's a bit boring but more chapters coming soon. Please have patience with me lol and thank you for reading! If you liked it, leave me a review! :3 -Rin


	7. How about some take out?

Chapter 7: How about some take out?

Lucy woke up first and quite frantic. She had to take a few minutes to fully make sense of where she was again. She was covered in a hospital blanket. Her daughter was breathing softly in the bed. It was sunrise already as the sun's rays were beginning to pool in through the window blinds.

She couldn't believe she overslept. The damn kid didn't even bother to wake her to say goodbye. Now that she was relaxed and able to completely come to terms with everything that happened. She exhaled softly.

Her daughter was safe and luckily her babysitter did a great job. She'd have to thank Wendy for suggesting her brother to help her in the first place. Most importantly, she owed the pinkette a lot. It will be something she'd never forget. Both siblings had helped her a great deal. Wendy had been recommended to her by her boss, Erza Scarlet.

Wendy often took care of Erza's son, Siegrain. who was a year younger than Celeste. When the redhead boss spoke highly of her. Which was an oddity for the redhead who was even more crazy than Lucy, and Erza's husband Jellal was one meticulous man. Lucy had to get in contact with her too.

The blue-haired teen and Lucy clicked so well and Celi loved her that she became their permanent friend and babysitter. That was 3 years ago when she first met her. Back then Lucy was more of a wreck than she was now.

Time was flying so fast that the mom could barely catch her breath. She was feeling overwhelmed by it all. Especially during this time of year. It was always during the summer when she was at her most vulnerable state.

She was due to go visit her husband again. Actually, tomorrow. Both her and Celi never failed to visit him on his birthday. As she stared at the date on her phone, it was August 18th today, she let out a heavy sigh, "I guess it's almost that time again." she said aloud to no one. She shifted her gaze out the window.

"What time, mama?" her daughter yawned and sat up.

"Oh, pumpkin. Good morning! How are you feeling? I didn't know you were awake." Lucy went to sit next to her.

"Morning! I'm good. My throat doesn't hurt anymore." she smiled, "but what did you mean, mama?"

A nurse walked in before Lucy could answer.

"Good morning! My, you both are up early. Are we ready to leave today?" she looked at the little blonde on the bed, "we're getting everything ready to discharge her, okay mom?" she looked at Lucy.

The discharge at the hospital was quick and before long the mom and daughter were back at home. They were greeted by Natsu's cat, Happy. Who meowed at them as they entered.

"Did your daddy forget you?" Lucy scratched its head, "you must be starving! I might have a can of tuna somewhere around here…" she walked towards the kitchen.

"Happy!" Celeste ran to the cat, spooking him to run away from her.

"Celi, don't bother the cat." she brought a bowl with tuna and placed it on the floor of the living room. To which that cat came running towards it and began to eat.

"I'm getting hungry too. How about we go shower and then I make us some lunch?" she asked her daughter.

They showered and changed into more comfortable clothes. Ridding themselves of any traces of them being at the hospital.

...

"Looks like you're going to miss two days of school this week, hun." Lucy made a sour face as she looked at her planner. Her sandwich was half eaten beside it. They were eating lunch together in the dining table.

"Yay! No school and I get to go see my daddy!" her daughter said with a face full of crumbs.

Lucy smiled and wiped her face, "silly goose." She was trying to be happy for her but this time during the months were always bittersweet for her.

Today she will be calm. If it shall be that tomorrow she'll be a crying wreck than so be it. But for today. Lucy will do everything in her power to enjoy her day off with her daughter.

After their quick lunch they opted for a movie marathon. Celeste was quick to pick a cartoon movie about dragons. The mom barely paying attention. Apparently it was a whole franchise and there was like three movies of this and they were on their second one. Natsu had gotten her hooked on these movies. Lucy was half paying attention. She was checking her phone for any news on the book they finished yesterday. A notification popup surprised her as she went to check her social media, InstaFace.

_Natsu Dragneel, happydragon7 is now following you._

_happydragon7 liked your photo._

Lucy had to chuckle out loud. _What kind of silly name is that? _Then again her name wasn't all the better, miss _lucyinthesky13_. Her eyes darted at the picture he liked. It was the last picture she posted, it was a selfie she took with Celi. She took it on her 29th birthday a few months ago. They were both making a silly face with their eyes crossed and their tongues out, looking almost identical.

The blonde wasn't one to post too often now but she loved to share snippets of her life. Her social feed was mostly pictures of her and Celi and the occasional outfit of the day or a delicious plate of food and the occasional selfie. But if you scrolled down she was once a provocative person, her outfits were sexier and she was smiling. Her old pictures of her and her late husband still there. A wedding day photo of her and Loke. She once had a large following and would get lots of likes on her more lewd pictures. But that was a thing of the past. Losing confidence in her charisma. Age and trauma would do that to you.

It did make her curious at the type of guy Natsu was as she began to snoop on his profile. With a quick thumb, she pressed "follow". There was no harm in it. She did follow Wendy too.

Natsu's feed was a mix of photos of Happy, his sports car and work pictures. The kid was obsessed with his cat. Lucy smiled as she felt the little thing cuddle next to her feet. He still hadn't come to get his cat.

The pinkette had probably a few selfies of himself. Then pictures of his red sports car, followed by buildings and more cat pics. She assumed it was buildings he built with his company. There was one particular picture that had her having to do a double take. It was a mirror selfie of Natsu in his work uniform. He had on a white hardhat, his pink hair coming out the sides and a small goatee. A highlighter yellow vest with reflective strips draped over his wide shoulders. His lips were pursed in an annoyed way and the caption read, "back to the grind". She couldn't help but gawk. The boy who had been taking care of her daughter looked like a total man. She snorted and smiled.

"What are you looking at mama?" Celeste put her hands on Lucy's phone. A little heart appeared on the picture of Natsu in his work clothes to indicate that she "liked" it.

"Oh my god. Celeste what did you do?" Lucy couldn't believe it. The photo wasn't new either. It was kind of in the middle of his feed. Which meant that he would see that she really was snooping. Which she was but didn't want him to know that. She wanted the floor to swallow her up.

"Ooh, is that Natschu!" she smiled, "he looks different!" her gaze drifted back to the TV. Lucy shut off her phone now feeling embarrased. Happy who was in her feet stood up as he walked towards the front door.

"Where ya going kitty?" the blonde whined, he was warm against her cold feet. She was about to get comfortable under the blanket next to Celi when the doorbell rang. She wasn't expecting guests. Unless it was Natsu coming back for his cat.

She opened the door and was greeted by Wendy holding a paper bag and Natsu stood next to her. She felt completely underdressed next to them. Wendy was wearing a yellow sundress with sunflowers, her dark blue hair was always in two long pigtails. Natsu had on jeans and a button up. Then there was Lucy in black leggings and an oversized red sweater.

Natsu picked up his cat who stood next to Lucy and Wendy went to greet Celeste who cheered gleefully at the siblings.

Then she remembered yesterday as she saw their nice attire. They were here to eat dinner with her and Celi. Lucy herself invited them.

"Oh crap! The dinner. Wendy, Natsu. I'm so sorry! I totally forgot!" she said aghast as the two sat on her couch next to Celi.

"You forgot? It's okay. We can always buy food!" said Wendy.

"Wow, Luce. How could you? Wen here was telling me you make the best fried rice. I was looking forward to it." Natsu added with a smirk on his face. He tried to remain composed but seeing the blonde in a messy ponytail with a bare face her light freckles and a tinge of natural blush tickled her cheeks and nose, her natural lips were plump and the softest pink he'd ever seen. She really was a natural beauty. Her red v-neck knit sweater was askew revealing a part of her shoulder. Her work clothes gave years to her age but as she stood there nibbling on her lower lip deciding on what to eat for dinner, her youthfulness pulled softly on his tarnished heartstrings. He had to mentally stop himself from staring with his mouth open.

"How about some Chinese take out?" the blonde asked, "next time I promise not to forget."

"Okay! I want noodles, mama." Celeste said.

"Well if Celi wants Chinese then me too!" Wendy added.

"I guess I'll try fried rice from someone else then." Natsu said glumly.

"Okay perfect! I'll make you the best dinner next time!" the blonde smiled. She called and placed the order, "they said it should be ready in 30 minutes so I'll go fix my hair and change. You both don't mind staying with Celi while I pick it up right?"

"Of course not!" Wendy hugged the child.

Lucy changed quickly to a pair of jeans but kept her red sweater and brushed her hair down. She was about to walk out when Wendy pushed Natsu out of the couch.

"Hey Lu, don't go by yourself. It's getting dark out. Take Natsu with you." she gave Natsu another push. Lucy had to laugh, she wasn't used to this rougher side of her. Wendy was always a sweetheart to her and her daughter.

"I was going to go anyways, twerp!" he gave her a nudge and walked towards Lucy, "let's go. We can take my car." a bright smile and he opened the front door for her.

The blonde was in awe at how nice his car was. She leaned back on the leather seat and tried to buckle the seatbelt but it was stuck.

"Hey, this is stuck." she tugged on the belt.

"Oh, hold on." he reached over her, "you have to let the belt retract and tug it again." he smiled and turned to face her but his face was inches from hers, he quickly sat back feeling heat in his cheeks and the slight thump his heart made in reaction to her closeness. Lucy bit her lip nervously, a tinge of pink tickled her cheeks.

"Your car is so nice." she said forgetting the blush in her cheeks, and began to touch everything. Which didn't sit too well with the pink-haired man. He took care of his car as if it was a baby and the blonde was leaving her fingerprints all over his fresh waxed interior, all traces of his fluttering heart instantly gone.

"You like it? Then check this out!" he pressed the gas as the engine roared. He was glad she was admiring it. Then again his car was a chick magnet. If he wanted to admit it helped him get laid more than a few times. Losing track of how many girls he slept with in the backseat. But of course he wasn't going to tell her that.

Lucy laughed, "okay, calm down, Sonic." a slight roll of her eyes. That was not the reaction he was expecting.

_What? She's not biting?! _That was his signature move. He huffed to himself. He wasn't thinking of doing anything with her anyways. It may help with picking up 19 year olds but this blonde, she was a woman. A woman with too much on her hands (and baggage) for silly shit like this. He smiled and rid himself of such thoughts. _Not your catch, Dragneel. _He said to himself.

"The chinese place is just up ahead."

…

Bonus (Prior to going to Lucy's house): Natsu was in his room of his parents' house waiting for Wendy to change and fix her hair.

"Hurry up, Wen!" he grumbled while he scrolled through his social media feed.

A grumble turned into a laugh at a meme he saw and a familiar face appeared. It was a picture of Lucy and her daughter making a silly face. It was recently liked by lissy_strauss97 his friend Lisanna. How Lisanna knew Lucy, he didn't know but somehow he ended up lurking through Lucy's feed. She had over 10,000 followers. Compared to his 80, who were mostly random girls, car enthusiasts and some friends. Holy shit, was it because she was hot? Her last picture was of her and Cel. Followed by her in a work outfit. Cute selfies of her in filters from SnapApp, which she didn't need honestly she was pretty without them. There wasn't much to her feed. Basic girl stuff and pictures of her daughter. But he kept scrolling as the years seem to shed on the blonde. After the baby pictures of Celi and Lucy's growing stomach. She looked pretty for a pregnant woman and her body had bounced back from what he has seen.

Her pictures became more provocative. She had taken a pic in a bikini, the sea and sunset behind her, her sunny smile and bright eyes were the brightest he'd ever seen her. She was smiling at the one who took the picture. She definitely didn't have this look now and holy shit, she looked sexy in her tiny white bikini with pink flowers that left little to the imagination. He noticed why she had such a large following, the picture alone had 8k likes. The picture after though, made his stomach churn. It was a selfie with what he could only assume was Celi's dad, he had been curious about who he was and he could see the resemblance. The guy had bronze spiky hair and lighter eyes than Lucy which were covered in light blue sunglasses. He and her were smiling at the camera with the beach in the background. It dawned on him that this was probably during their honeymoon. He darted at their wedding picture. She looked radiant. The first picture was of her alone with a white wedding dress. Then one of her being carried by the groom, cradle style.

As he scrolled her pictures were really different, was the only way he could put it. She would wear tight clothes and short skirts. Her hair was longer back then as it cascaded to her waist, she'd wear a side ponytail. Followed by some more pictures of her and her ex. If he had met her during this period of hers he'd probably would've already slept with her. He snickered at his lewd thoughts. Natsu was really invested with his snooping because he hadn't realized that Wendy was knocking on his bedroom door.

"Hey, you ready? Let's go!"

* * *

**A/N: **I wanted to make note of this before you guys judge Natsu's behavior, I will explain more on this later to avoid spoilers! Have patience with this young fool! ALSO I love cute moments omg. They're feeling it now Mr. Krabs, (spongebob reference) LOL I'm having too much fun with this. I didn't like their names a lot for their "InstaFace" profiles but I thought they were cute so I kept them. Thank you for reading and I love feedback so please review if you'd like! -Rin


	8. Happy birthday, daddy?

**A/N: **So I kinda wanna do a song that relates to each chapter so if anyone wants to listen to new music or if ya know the song then kudos to you! you can just enjoy it all over again OR you can just ignore it and continue reading. Lol usually my tastes are like pop, rock and kpop and some oldies. Though, I won't include too much kpop.

Anyways: Song of the day (SOTD): 'Someday You Will Be Loved- Death Cab for Cutie.' (like Loke singing it to Lucy in the afterlife *sobs*)

* * *

Chapter 8: Happy birthday, daddy...

The blonde mom and her daughter sat with her two friends and babysitters in her small round four seater dining table. There were several chinese takeout boxes in the middle and laughter all around. In one instance, Lucy got to see the power of the pinkette's stomach as he scarfed down heaping spoonfuls of rice. Now she understood why her container had been emptied out, he had an appetite. But the mom didn't seem to mind at all.

They continued their dinner chatting amongst themselves. It was today that the blonde found out Wendy and Natsu were half siblings. Natsu's dad, Igneel was a widow when he married Wendy's mom Grandeeney back when the two were 13 and 7 respectively. Wendy's dad had moved away but was still present in her life and she'd occasionally visit him. It was then when the blonde also found out that she shared the same pain Natsu did. Lucy lost her mom when she was 7 after a battle with cancer and he lost his when he was 5 for reasons she hadn't known yet. Although, she didn't mention her sad story, to avoid killing the mood. Since the two siblings had known each other for so long they were really close.

The conversation topic changed to the adults talking about their childhood. As Wendy spoke about the bully Natsu was and she got to see a whole different side of the two. Natsu was playful but he cared deeply for his family and friends. While Wendy was sweet and shy but had no trouble messing with her older brother when she had the chance. When they finished, Lucy cleared the table and the blue-haired teen brought out playing cards for her and Celeste. It turned into a battle between the siblings and Celi. They were playing Go Fish and the little girl had the upper hand.

The mom was listening to the sibling rivalry and Celi's mischievous laughter while she was washing the dishes from the kitchen.

"Don't tell me you guys are losing to a little girl?" Lucy laughed.

"I don't know how she does it." Wendy shook her head.

"I think she's cheatin'." said Natsu.

"No I'm not! I'm winning fair square!" Celi said proudly.

"Don't pester my little girl there Natsu or you're going to have to get through me!" Lucy set the last clean dish in the sink and walked towards the table, "now I wanna play," she said with a smirk as she sat down.

"Thems fighting words, Heartfilia." the pinkette pursed his lips.

"Is that a challenge?" the blonde cocked an eyebrow.

"You bet! I'm all fired up!" he grinned.

Wendy had to chuckle to herself at the aura those two were exuding. She never intended for them to connect really well. Well for them to meet at all for that matter. But she wanted to help Lucy. Plus, he was at home doing nothing anyways. But as she laughed at their little squabble, she could see how easygoing they were with each other. How their eyes unintentionally lit up when they spoke to each other, she had also been sneaking looks at them the whole time, mindlessly, of course.

Natsu had always been quiet when he'd come visit from Crocus. Never really feeling comfortable around her and her mom now that his dad passed away 3 years ago. She always knew it was more like he forced himself to go. Wendy understood that he loved her and her mom as if they were his family but the house they grew up together in harbored sad memories. But still he always made the effort to visit often. The younger sister knew her brother more than he knew himself, his methods of coping with certain things were peculiar to say the least.

To Wendy, Lucy was a fragile woman. When she met her a few years ago, she was way more frantic then she was now. But she was nice and always welcomed Wendy with open arms, she grew to admire the older blonde. She has come a long way but she was still so closed in and she knew it had to do with her late husband. She was glad now that her and her brother became somewhat friends in these unexpected circumstances. Maybe he'd help her out of the shell he kept herself in. Then again, Wendy barely saw this happy side of Lucy and she knew it was definitely Natsu's doing.

As they continued bickering throughout their game, the chemistry was evident. Who knows? Maybe they could even become great friends or be something more. After all, they were both single adults. But she would never say anything. They both had to figure it out for themselves. She knew she was tired of her brother's promiscuity, but she knew why he would act that way. Which is why she wanted something permanent for him. From her standpoint, she saw something growing between them.

"Wen are you even paying attention! They're beating us. Our family name is in jeopardy here!" Natsu slammed his cards on the table. He was really competitive. Lucy and Celeste were laughing hysterically. They had more pairs than he and Wendy did.

They continued playing for a little while longer until Wendy informed that she had school tomorrow. She hated to be the one to break the duo apart. But she had to go. They helped her clear out the table which now had snacks and dirty cups.

"So, Natsu," Lucy spoke while she wiped the table, "when are you leaving again? I will make sure to prep you a delicious dinner before you leave," she smiled brightly. A gorgeous girl offering food and smiling with those glistening brown eyes, Natsu couldn't help but feel the quivering of his heart in his chest. Lucy hadn't forgotten that she owed him a dinner, as promise for helping her take care of Celeste and saving her…

"I leave this Sunday." he looked away to avoid her glance as he was tightening her trash bag.

"Hmm…" she tilted her head and crossed her arms, "how about you two come by Friday night? That way I can fulfill my promise."

"Yeah, okay! Sounds like a plan." he looked up at her and grinned.

They helped her with tidying up her house and both bid their goodbyes.

Another day finished but the mom could barely sleep. It was always like that. She knew what tomorrow was and just like every year since, it always made her heart clench. She managed to doze off but a strange ringtone woke her, startled she frantically grabbed whatever object she had near. In this case it was a pen by her bedside table which she grabbed with the pointed tip upwards.

Who the heck was that? She ran to check on her daughter who was fast asleep in her room. The ringing was coming from the living room. She lit the hallway light. A phone screen was lit brightly on the couch as it continued ringing but there was not a soul in the living room. The blonde had to wipe her eyes to adjust her vision. She quickly darted to the phone but missed the call. It was a Jamsung phone with a red case. A picture of a black cat as the screensaver. The notifications read;

Missed Call Maya (Hooters) 1:10am

Maya (Hooters): Hey handsome, I miss you. 1:11am

M: I want to see you again, soon. How about… 1:11am

The text continued but the notification preview only shows part of it. Lucy blushed as she realized this was Natsu's phone and she just invaded his privacy and it was most definitely a private text considering the details of the messages. She dropped the phone from shock onto the living room area rug. Luckily it was a soft landing. She picked it up and placed it back on the couch. She'll just give it to him tomorrow.

…

The mornings on this day took quite a toll on the overworked Lucy, however, she wouldn't have it any other way.

On this particular day, her and Celi had pancakes for breakfast and they'd dress up in their prettiest dresses. She picked a cute pink princess dress for Cel and styled her hair into pigtails with pink bows. For her, she picked a dress that she knew he would like. It was a strapless yellow dress with a sweetheart neckline and a ruffled skirt with black pumps. Loke always told her that yellow made her brown eyes stand out and her hair glow. She slightly blushed as she remembered the day he told her that. She straightened her medium length hair, tucking one side behind her ear.

"Hey Cel, you ready?" she asked her daughter who was sitting down on the couch holding a folded piece of paper that she held nervously, she looked up at her mom and nodded.

The cemetery was a good hour away from home but it was a nice drive as the entire commute was mainly countryside. Lucy had brought two bouquets of colored daisies as the two walked hand in hand inside the cemetery. It was a huge lot of graves and mausoleums, after the mausoleums there was a large columbarium* where they kept the ashes. They trekked softly as they passed several niches. Until they reached the one they were looking for. Loke's niche was right in front of a window and right now as the sun was at its brightest, his urn shined and so did the pictures inside it. The niche had the urn in the middle where it was engraved with his birth date and death date and in bold letters it said "loving husband and father. There were pictures of her and Loke and a baby picture of Celeste. Lucy had to carry Celeste as the niche was too high for her to see.

"Happy birthday, daddy." the little girl said softly. "I'm five years old now and I go to kindergarten!" she sniffled and brought out her folded paper, "look I drew this for you!" she opened up the paper and it was a stick figure drawing of her, Loke and Lucy and two other figures next to them. A girl with long blue pigtails and a pink haired stick figure.

"Its us, daddy and our friends, Wendy and Natsu." she smiled and Lucy had to smile too. A stray tear managed to slip out. She put Celeste down and composed herself as she touched the glass of the niche.

"Happy birthday, Loke," she smiled, her hand still on the glass. The urn glew, when a stray cloud that shrouded the sun moved. The sunlight pooling through the window, "we miss you here, ya know. Celeste is doing great. She's sometimes as hard headed as I am and other times she is your twin. No doubt…" her voice trailed. She stood there for a moment. Memories flooding back to her as she reminisced in their past times together. She clasped her hands in a prayer and asked whatever deity he was up there with, to watch over them and grant them good health. She laid one of the bouquets on a bench close to his niche.

As she was walking out, she encountered Loke's cousin, Virgo. She was a beautiful woman with short pink hair. She never expected to see her there. The last time she saw her was at his ceremony and at that time she was still pregnant. The petite woman shared the same shock as Lucy. Celeste stood closely behind her mom.

"Lucy! Wow, it's been so long… How have you been?" the woman asked her.

"Hey, we're good, thanks. Uh, this is Celeste," she gave her daughter a slight shove so she could greet her. Celeste waved shyly.

"Oh my goodness. You look just like your daddy, don't you, princess!" she patted her head and looked up at Lucy, "I see you actually kept that name." she gave her a tight lip smile. It was the name that he had picked up since before he got with Lucy, he always said if he had a daughter he'd name her Celeste.

Truthfully, Lucy hadn't kept a good relationship with her in laws. When none of them bothered to show up to her baby shower or even to visit her in the hospital when she gave birth. She swore to stop trying and let them contact her. The only one who bothered was Loke's younger sister, Aries, and on rare occasions her mother in law would contact her, a rude woman with a spiteful attitude that was hard to get along with but she pulled through for Cel. Because, the woman did love her grandchild. Lucy wanted Celeste to have a family besides her.

The blonde felt like they blamed her for his death. But she knew deep in her heart that she wasn't at fault. For three years she struggled with that until her friend Levy had to knock some sense into her. Still, at times she doubted herself.

"Yes. It's the name we both decided on." she said as a matter of factly. She did love the name too.

"I see. Do you always come here on his birthday?"

"No." she lied. She hoped that her daughter would stay quiet and not tell her the truth, luckily Celeste was shy with strangers and didn't say anything.

"All right. Well, nice to see you and to meet you little Stelly." she pinched Celi's cheek softly.

"It's Celi!" the little girl said proudly and rubbed her cheek. It was at that moment that she was all her mom's attitude and the blonde was very proud.

"Oh, sorry! Celi." she smiled and walked away towards Loke's niche.

Lucy had to calm herself. Virgo was one of the ones that loved to talk behind her back, her attitude towards her had always been fake, even when her and Loke were just dating. But this wasn't about her. She huffed and walked away proudly with her daughter next to her.

* * *

**A/N: ***Columbarium: is a building where they keep ashes in case any of you guys don't know. So lots of information on this chapter. Everything will be revealed slowly but surely! Also, $20 to whoever guesses I chose to be Loke's mom, lol it's pretty obvious, she's a celestial spirit too heheh -Rin


	9. Who's Lucy?

**A/N: **SOTD: 'Sick Hearts -The Used'

Chapter 9: Who's Lucy?

Before leaving the cemetery, the mom and daughter took a moment to visit the grave of her mother, Layla. Which she always did every year she came here for Celeste's dad. The little girl had grown accustomed to this day. Before she could even fathom what went on in her world, her mom had taken her when she was a baby, when she was 1 year old, when she was 2 years old she was going through her terrible-twos and Lucy had to leave early or her whining and crying would wake even the dead. At the age of three she was more calm but was still unaware of why she was there. At four years old, she understood a little more but the word 'death' had not yet been introduced into the little girls vocabulary. It wasn't until after her 5th birthday where Lucy finally explained to her daughter why she visits her dad on his birthday and let me tell you, it wasn't a conversation she wanted to have with her but she felt she had every right to know. More like, she needed to know for both of their sakes. Thankfully today, she had been exactly what Lucy had hoped her daughter would be, she had acted in a mature way and not to mention, how she handled her "aunt" the Heartfilia way.

Like tradition, they went to a nearby cafe that they went to every year to eat a slice of cake in his honor. They shared a chocolate cake with a candle on it and they made a wish on his behalf. Lucy always wished for Celi's happiness.

"So, what did you wish for, Cel?" Lucy asked her daughter, who had her hands in a prayer and her eyes shut.

She opened her eyes and said quietly, "I- I want a daddy," she looked at her mom with sadness in her hazel eyes and then looked down shyly, "I know you told me he can't come back but-" she started sniffling, "my friend, Grace says her daddy buys her toys all the time and she's always talking about her daddy…" her voice trailed off. She was picking at the cake with her fork.

The blonde had to bite the inside of her cheek, the look she had when she said her wish devastated her to her core. She understood that the child thought her wish was innocent. But it was more than that. How does she tell her it wasn't that easy? She knew that it was beneficial for her to have a father figure in her life but how? Her grandfather wasn't always present so he wasn't the one to fill the void. He'd visit when he could and loved his granddaughter, no doubt. And well, Lucy wasn't ready to go out there. Shit, who'd want a single mother with baggage? It's what she always told herself which stopped her from even trying in the first place.

To Lucy, Loke was her first love. She was completely infatuated with the guy and she was so happy. Dealing with his death while being a new mom was more than stressful enough. She shouldn't be, but she was still stuck in the past. Which stopped her from even trying to date.

She tried once when Celeste was 2 and it was after Levy had practically forced her, it was a blind date thing but he was so forward and a bit on the corny side. Not to mention that Levy forgot to tell the guy she had a daughter. When she brought it up to him, his demeanor changed and he was cold towards her. Maybe that's all it took for her to quit on men but after that she gave up again.

"Celi, I'm sorry," Lucy had tears welled up in her eyes, "he may not be here but he's always looking out for you, okay?" she shut her eyes to hide her tears.

The little blonde looked up and smiled weakly, "okay, mama."

At times like this Lucy did wonder if it was alright for her to bring her daughter here and if she was too young to understand the concept of death. But she sugar coated it when she explained it to her so that it was easier to comprehend. She just never expected for her to say something like that.

After their cake, they had a quick stroll through the little shops in the plaza nearby and they headed back home. She'd have to go back to get things ready as there was school and work tomorrow.

…

When Lucy arrived to her complexes parking lot, she'd never expected to see her newfound pink-haired friend. He was standing in front of her building, his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets. He's caught her at a bad time as she had been crying softly the whole way home, luckily her daughter had fallen asleep in the car. But still she didn't want anyone to know she had been crying, crying from the bomb her daughter dropped on her with a swift hand she wiped the tears of her face. Reluctantly, she opened the car door and gave him a small smile to which he accepted and walked towards her.

Natsu had been calling Lucy from Wendy's phone all day. He couldn't believe he left his phone at her house. He'd curse whatever deity allowed that to happen and his stupid self for being careless. The woman made him uncomfortable to say the least, he found himself thinking about her last night. Like what the heck? He never thinks about a woman unless it's a perverted thought and this wasn't at all. He found himself laughing in his room at something she did when they were playing cards that made her look so innocent and cute. No way. He had to shake his head to stop himself.

As she was getting out her car he couldn't help but notice she had been crying. Her eyes and cheeks get red when she cries. Just like the other night she was drinking. Nevermind, how gorgeous she looked in her dress. This man was sincerely worried for her.

"Uh, hey Luce. Sorry to come here unannounced. I've been calling you." he held out Wendy's phone with a pink case.

"Huh?" Lucy reached into her purse and grabbed her phone. She had a few missed calls from Wendy from the morning and in the afternoon. She didn't get signal in the countryside and she had forgotten he left his phone at her house. She carried Celeste out of the car, but she nearly tripped on her heels. Natsu had to come over and carry her cradle style, the little sleeping girl nuzzled in his chest.

The walk to her apartment was silent. She didn't have the mentality right now to fake conversation. At the front door she took her daughter from his arms and went for his phone, leaving him in the doorway to wait. After placing her daughter in the couch and grabbing his phone she walked towards her front door.

"Here," she handed him the apparatus that had woken her up at night.

"Thanks, sorry about that," he grinned awkwardly and his smile turned upside down, "is everything okay?" he didn't want to seem pushy but Natsu was never one to turn down a friend in need. After all, they were friends now.

Lucy had to smile halfheartedly, "everything is fine."

"You can talk to me, ya know? If you want to. Maybe I can help somehow." he rubbed the back of his neck. _Am I being too pushy? _

The blonde sighed, "It's just my late husband's birthday today. I'll be fine, Natsu. Really. Thank you."

"Oh, uh, I didn't know…" _Shit, what do you say to that?_

"It's fine. But, I'd like to be left alone." her eyes were downcast.

"Right, sorry!" he walked away disheartened. Maybe he intervened too much. His dad did always tell him he was too friendly for his own good.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket to check his notifications. He had been waiting for a phone call from work about a new project, which is why his phone was so important today. There were calls from Wendy mostly, when he wasn't sure at first where he had left his phone and then he reached towards the oldest notification. A missed call from Sting and one of Maya, an old flame he used to have. He slept with her once and she kept asking for more but he was done with her.

In his way, he'd make up excuses for not seeing her. Her texts however were a bit forward. He felt his cheeks flush. Wait, what if _Lucy_ saw those texts. From what he saw his phone wasn't on vibrate and she knew exactly where it was without asking him where he left it. Not that he cared what she thought but it is pretty embarrassing. If she knew or didn't, well that was a mystery he may never know.

…

The mom was finally in bed. She had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The days events transpired in her mind. Then she remembered how rude she had been to the unsuspecting Natsu for cutting their conversation short. It wasn't his fault he caught her at a bad time. She just didn't have the energy to talk about things. She had to apologize to him. He's been nothing but kind to her, with nervous fingers she sent a quick text to the younger man;

_L: Hey Natsu, I wanted to apologize for being rude to you earlier._

_L: I was having a bad day and it wasn't your fault. I'm sorry. _

_Wendy's Bro (Natsu): Hey don't worry. I didn't think u were rude_

_N: Is everything ok now?_

_N: If ya wanna talk about it, u can. We are friends now_

_(Wait, did I seem too pushy again?)_

_L: Yeah, everything will be ok now. Thank you, friend. :) LOL_

_(Jeez that was cringey. Why did I say that?)_

_N: No prob, Luce._

_(Did I just get friendzoned? Haha.)_

_L: Goodnight. Sorry again._

_N: Quit apologizin. Night_

With that text, she felt better and went to sleep feeling ready to go back to reality.

[**A/N**: Hiya, sorry for the interruption. The words in parenthesis are their thoughts! and onward…]

…

The pinkette was in his element. He had brought his GameStation from home and was currently playing Guns of Duty online with his friends Sting and Rogue. They were in an intense game and their party was losing critically.

"Damn, Sting. You got murked." he was talking on his headset with his friend as he sat criss crossed on his bed

"I didn't even see the little fucker man." Sting said angrily.

"Both of you have been getting murked," Rogue added, he had been the one pulling the weight for their team so far.

"Hey, I'm tryin here! I got those two assholes that have been handing our asses to us-" Natsu laughed and got interrupted by his phone message tone.

He had hoped it wasn't Maya again. He had to let her down easy. She was a hot waitress he met at a restaurant, she gave him her phone number on her check receipt and the rest was history. He had thought it was a one nighter but she kept texting him. She took it pretty well to his surprise, she just wanted round two. But that wasn't a thing for the ppinkette. He didn't do relationships. Not anymore.

But it wasn't her. It was Lucy. What? He had to reread the notification. She was apologizing for what? It's not like it bothered him at all, in fact he felt like he had been to confrontational. It surprised him. He completely stopped his game to reply to her texts.

"Bro, are you even paying attention!" Sting yelled through the headset, "your getting your ass handed to you."

"Maybe he's taking a leak," Rogue laughed.

"Sorry, texting."

"Whoa, who you stopping a game for there, Dragneel?" Sting said. He knew he cared more about video games than texting girls.

"Lucy." he said without thinking and immediately wanted to take it back. Those assholes were going to get on his case.

"Who's Lucy? Another standie? Aren't you tired of that?" Sting added. Being that he was the only one with a steady girlfriend and he was completely whipped. He didn't like how his friend was.

"No! What the f-... She's uh, my sister's friend." _Crap, that sounds worse._

"You're screwing a minor? You freaking creep!" Rogue said in a shocked tone.

"Damn, I never took you for a cradle robber. She better be over 18!" Sting gasped.

"Whaddaya guys take me for?! No, it's not even like that!" Natsu laughed. Which caused his friends to breathe a sigh of relief and laugh along with him. The woman was older than he is. Definitely not a minor. It was the complete opposite. He texted goodnight and continued his game, more confidently than before. The duo, however, kept bugging him for a little bit until they gave up seeing that their pink-haired friend wasn't budging.

**A/N: **This is a bittersweet chapter. I hope you all liked it! Thank ya for being patient! Like always I'm eternally grateful for your kind words. Thank you reviewers! Enzymaster5, Foxfollower, velerioux, Aila xD, Ushindeshi, Simusar, Trollka21, EchizenRyoma, Mecatfat123, YunaYue and NateTexans. All of your reviews have put a smile on my face! -Rin


	10. Who's Natsu?

**A/N: **SOTD: 'Greatest Love of All -Whitney Houston'

ALSO GUYS OMG SO I DID A THING. I'm working on a series of Christmas NaLu oneshots and one of them is based on this fic. I THINK ITS SUPER ADORABLE SO GO READ IT MAYBE…PLEASE It's called A Nalu Christmas and it's Chapter 3! I'd like to think is like a glimpse into the future. May or may not end up being a fancanon(is that the word to describe it.. IDK) for this fic. If yall are interested… okay! -Rin

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Chapter 10: Who's Natsu?

Weekdays were busy in the Heartfilia household. Before it would be getting the toddler ready for daycare and get herself ready while juggling her child but now she was a full on school kid. She just started kindergarten last week and (already missed two days, for good reason) now the routine was becoming easier. Like always Lucy would wake up first and prepare their lunches and make breakfast. Then she'd wake up her daughter so she can get ready and she would get ready herself. Once both girls were fed and dressed, Lucy would drive her to school and then drive to work.

The blonde arrived to Fairy Tail Publishing building, a large gray 3 story structure, with a confident stride in her red pencil skirt with a pink button up shirt, her medium-length hair in a tight ponytail, she entered. Before heading to her office, she had a run in with her boss, Erza Scarlet, she was the Marketing Director. A stunning redhead, she was a tough woman with an even tougher temper. But when she wasn't being scrutinized by the higher ups she was kind and a bit quirky. The books release had been on Monday as planned and the author was super pleased to see her work out in and did a signing on it's release.

"Congratulations again, Lucy. The editorial staff did an outstanding job. I hope you continue the pace. We have a few more projects we need to take care of and I expect the same results." the redhead smiled.

"Thank you, it's all the editors. They worked really hard. We will keep it up!"

"Perfect. I hope to see you all at the author's book launch party this weekend."

"What?" the blonde stared wide-eyed. She hadn't heard of any party.

"Yes, the author, Sherry Blendy is having a soiree at Lamia Scale Hotel. We sent an email to all the staff. It's this weekend. Mira expects everyone to be there."

"Oh. I haven't gone to my office to check my emails yet. Sure, I will be there."

After her chat and greeting the other staff, she made her way into her office. She half expected to find her work desk full of drafts and manuscripts of other works but luck was on her side as their were only a few drafts.

Her office was small with a large window behind her dark cherry wood desk, a big black swivel chair and a coat rack on the back. She had hung a few pictures of her daughter and her college diploma on the wall to her left where a file cabinet stood and the wall to her right was floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with past works and manuscripts. Tiny elements of pink office supplies and trinkets made the otherwise boring office, feminine and cute.

Usually her desk was full but there were only a few drafts of children's books to work on and a copy of the book that haunted them all weekend, it looked nice with the cover on, it was a young adult romance novel called 'Love's Revival'. One of the perks of her job was they'd give the staff free copies of the books they had worked on. But, when you've read it over and over to work on it, there wasn't much excitement behind it. Still, the story had been cute and romantic. She kept all the books that were given to her, especially because her name was in them.

Finally she sat down happily to get started on her day. She checked her emails first and then she saw the email Erza had mentioned. "Love's Revival Book Launch Party!" in bold as the subject. It was sent to her by the head of publishing and the boss' grandson's betrothed, Mirajane Strauss. A total sweetheart, just don't get on her bad side. She was Lisanna's older sister. Older than Lucy by a few years. The email was forwarded to the entire staff. An invitation to a soiree on Saturday, it started at 7pm and it was a black tie event. Lucy was dreading it already. Don't get her wrong, she liked parties but book launches were more like a chore because she HAD to go and have on a fake smile the whole time.

…

"Hey Lu, why don't you join us for lunch today?" Levy eyed the blonde from her office doorway.

"Sure! I hadn't realized the time!" the two walked towards the employee lounge.

"How were your days off?" the blunette asked.

"Stressful," she sighed and then perked up, "what about you?"

"What happened?" she ignored her question.

"My daughter is allergic to peanuts apparently. She got sick on Sunday and I spent the night at a hospital. But she's fine now. Thank Mavis, well I ought to thank my babysitter for his quick thinking."

"Oh my gosh, Lu. That's horrible. You must've been so worried. I'll go visit Celi soon and say hi. I'm glad she's okay."

The two sat down next to Cana and Juvia who were talking about the book launch party.

"I can't wait for the party," the brunette said in between mouthfuls of pasta, "I hope they have hard stuff and not just wine, though."

"I already told my darling, Gray. He wasn't too happy about it but he looks so cute in a tux!" Juvia added, her eyes gleaming, "both of you are coming, right?" she looked at Levy and Lucy.

"Me and a forced Gajeel will definitely be there!" Levy beamed.

"Yes, we have to, apparently." Lucy said dryly.

"Aw, it'll be fun, Lu! We'll just make the best of it, even if it is work related." Lisanna came up to the table and sat down.

They continued talking about what they were going to wear and wanting to match with their significant others. All the girls gloating on what their men were going to wear. Lucy and Cana were barely contributing to the conversation.

"Well, I got a new boo, I might invite him then," Cana snickered, "I'd hate to be the 7th wheel again."

"Cana, you jerk!" Lucy said with a smirk, "I thought me and you were in this together." Cana and Lucy were each other's dates in events and parties for work since both girls were single. One having fun and mingling and the other a girl who had given up on men altogether. The blonde huffed jokingly.

"Sorry, girl! This guy just may be the one." she winked.

"Lu, we need to find you a date girl." Levy said with a smile, "hmm… I wonder who would be a good match for Lucy?"

"Uh, no thanks. I can go by myself. I was just joking with Cana." the blonde smiled and took a sip of water.

"What if I ask Natsu?" Lisanna asked, which caused the blonde to choke on her water.

"What?" she said through coughs.

The white-haired girl giggled, "he's single and you know him now. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"I don't think so, Lis. I don't know him... all that well. It'll be awkward." _And he's much too young, probably not into this stuff, _she wanted to say. She didn't know him like that. She didn't want a date at all for that matter.

"Who's Natsu?" Cana asked.

"Lucy's babysitter." said Juvia with a laugh.

"Oh right! The buff pink-haired cutie!" the brunette yelled.

The girls continued to poke fun at Lucy and her "young hot babysitter" and the blonde's adamant stance at not having a date for the party.

…

The pink-haired man was used to visiting his step-mom and sister during his holidays and vacation time. He usually stayed at home when Grandeeney was working and Wendy was at school. He was used to it. But today, Grandeeney called off work to spend the day with her son. It had been awhile since the last time he came and today she was forcing the poor guy to go grocery shopping with her.

The tall pink-haired woman, her hair wrapped tightly in a bun, two bangs adorned her face, she was wearing a long white sundress and a light gray shawl over it, she grumbled softly as she walked inside the supermarket next to her stepson.

"Come on, Natsu. I need to get this over with so you can help me cook," she frowned, "you know I hate crowds."

"So, what you cookin' good lookin'?" Natsu walked beside her, dragging a grocery cart.

"Meat stew and rice!" she smiled, "I know how much you like my meat stew," she looked over at the pinkette who had a big grin on his face, "but my boy loves everything!" she gave him a hug. He was used to her being a clingy mom at times. She had always been that way. That's one thing that he was grateful for; Grandeeney never mistreated him and welcomed him with open arms.

"Natsu, be a dear and grab me a can of tomato puree. It's the one on the top shelf." the step-mom and Natsu were already in line after quickly gathering most of the ingredients and other things they needed around the house, she was zooming through her grocery list and realized she needed it. To which he quickly ran over to the canned goods aisle and reached for the brand she usually uses as he went for the can, another man was going for the same one, it just so happened to be the only one left.

"You said it's the Earthland Brand, right?" the dark-haired man was talking on the phone, his hand firmly on the top of the can, a stranger's hand held the bottom of it. He gave Natsu a side-eye.

"You gonna let go or what?" Natsu returned the side-eye. Something about this guy annoyed the crap out of him.

"Uh, I grabbed it first!" he grunted and continued his call, "hey Juve, ima call you back."

"I'd let go if I were you." Natsu spat.

"Listen, my pregnant wife is expecting tomato soup tonight. If I don't bring this, I'm sleeping in the doghouse so cough it up, short stack." the man said. Natsu didn't like the look this man was giving him at all.

"Well, my mom is expecting this too, droopy-eyed weirdo!" Who the hell did he think he was. The man was taller by a few inches, clearly the insult was exaggerated.

"Oh, then go tell your mommy there's no more then." he got closer to the pinkette.

"Then you go tell your fat wife to eat something else," his forehead was touching the dark-haired man's forehead.

"You wanna say that again, punk?"

"Let's go th-" Natsu flinched back, "what the hell happened to your shirt?"

The dark-haired man who was clad in jeans and a button up shirt, was down to just his jeans. "What the-" He looked down at his naked chest, "this is all your fault for getting me worked up!"

"Oh man, I didn't know you were a freakin' pervert!" He chuckled, his hand still stuck to the can of tomato sauce.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" Grandeeney appeared from behind him, making Natsu lose his grip on the can to which the dark-haired man used to his advantage and snatched it, picking up his shirt off the floor and quickly walked the other way.

"Aw, crap. That jerk took the last can!"

"Just get another brand, you buffoon. Don't go picking fights with people!" she was used to her stepson's rowdy behavior since he was a kid. But he was way too old to be acting like this.

The pair was able to finish their groceries without any other issues while Grandeeney scolded him.

…

The blonde mom was laying in bed after finishing her chores, waiting for sleep to drift her away, she was checking her group chat with her co-workers who were all talking about what to wear and do at the party on Saturday, making Lucy lose interest in the conversation and over thinking the whole party situation altogether. She ought to ask Wendy tomorrow if she can take care of Celi. She was going to put her phone down but a notification chimed. It was InstaFace.

_happydragon7 sent you a DM._

She quickly tapped on the popup on her phone. It was a meme he shared to her of a mom joke that she definitely related to. It was a face of a man with a grimace on his face and the picture read "The face I make when my kid tries to help clean but makes a bigger mess instead." It was a silly photo but all too relatable.

_lucyinthesky13: That's Celi alright! Maybe I'm just a picky mom. (laughing tears emoji)_

_happydragon7: I knew it! She tried to help clean on Saturday but she just made a bigger mess haha_

_lucyinthesky13: At least she tried lol. Thank you again btw _

_happydragon7: no problem, anytime :)_

_lucyinthesky13: I still haven't forgotten the dinner! What's something you'd like to eat?_

They continued their conversation talking about what Lucy should cook and then it turned into them talking about what foods they liked and didn't like. Before either of them even knew it, it was late at night and Lucy was falling asleep with her phone in her hand. If she said before she didn't know him all that well, slowly she was getting to know him now and the more she delved into his life the more she found herself interested in him more than she would ever admit.

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**A/N: **Grandeeney is totally described as Porlyusica but just nicer lol. Sorry this chapter is a slight filler... I'm just building the storyline. It is a NaLu and I want to include both of their lives. I wanted to incorporate them talking on social media to build their relationship up. Also, guess who was fighting with Natsu at the store? LOL it was Gray! And omg SPOILER ALERT Juvia's pregnant! But she hasn't told anyone yet! I'm excited for this party already! Thank you for reading and as always leave me a review if you liked it! -Rin


	11. Why don't you come with?

**A/N: **SOTD: 'I'm Fine- BTS'

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Chapter 11: Why don't you come with?

Before long, the week was coming to an end. It was Friday and the mom hadn't forgotten she owed a certain pair of siblings a delicious meal. She specifically felt compelled to make sure that the dinner came out perfectly. She was still grateful for Natsu had done for her and her daughter and how he saved her daughter's life.

Maybe it was also the fact that somehow that pink-haired man made her day brighter just by sending her messages. They had been talking more often. Just sharing senseless things and pictures, although most of the times it turned into hours of conversation between the two. Natsu was friendlier than most people but Lucy began to really admire that about him.

Lucy had rushed her work so that she could leave early. After picking up her daughter from school. She headed home to clean and cook. She wanted the dinner and the night to be perfect. The blonde was busy stirring something in the stove when she heard her daughter spilling toys in the living room.

"Hey Celi, don't make a mess!" Lucy called out from the stove. "Remember Wendy and Natsu are coming over today."

The little girl was playing with legos in the living room carpet, "okay!"

After she had made the table and finished dinner which was fried rice and stir fry (which was what Natsu had decided on) and it was being kept warm in the stove she went to quickly change Celi out if her uniform into a blue sundress and then herself into a long maxi black wrap dress with short sleeves.

Her golden hair was in a low side ponytail. The dress was a bit too revealing up top but upon hearing the knocking on her door, it was too late for her to change. She eyed the faint stretch marks on her chest that haunted her from pregnancy, with a huff she fixed the fabric a bit to adjust the bust which covered a bit more and walked towards the living room to open the front door.

The pinkette was a bit more excited than he wanted to admit, playing it off as excited to eat some delicious food but honestly it was because the blonde kept creeping up into his thoughts. No matter how much he tried not to think about her and push the thoughts away. They had been talking more than he ever thought they would. Sending each other funny pictures and memes on occasions. He liked to talk to Lucy because she was so easy to talk to and he riled her up with his teasing.

He had brought his cat today because he knew Celi loved him. With an anxious fist he knocked on her apartment door.

"Lucy is an amazing cook. Dare I say she's on par with mom!" Wendy winked. That was a bold statement to him because he thought Grandeeney was the best cook there was. Then again he had tried her food before and it was indeed good. That's why he was excited for today. Right? There couldn't possibly another explanation. It's not like he wanted to _see_ the blonde.

But as she stood in her doorway with quite possibly the most genuine smile she had ever given him, his heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were twinkling today, there was that slight tiredness that was always there but that smile and those bright brown eyes were sincere. He hadn't even realized how her pushed up breasts sat in between the cleavage of her dress until he looked down and he could feel that skip again aching in his chest at how sultry she looked even wearing a long dress. The girls who walked around him in the past in short dresses and skirts were no match for the woman in front of him.

His mind was going crazy but the smile on his face was hiding it all as she went to greet Wendy with a hug and his anxiousness waiting for his greeting (his hug) and his disappointment when instead she just waved slightly and motioned for them to come inside. Celi ran to both of them when she heard her mom greeting them and she went to hug Wendy and Natsu.

Lucy opened the door happily as she said her hello's and gave Wendy a hug, she looked stunning in her blue spaghetti strap dress. She hesitated when she saw Natsu in his short sleeved red button up shirt and black jeans. He was wearing a black beanie with his pink hair poking out of the sides. He looked really… dreamy. She gave him a small wave instead and motioned for them to come inside. Celeste yelling gleefully and hugging them both.

"Awesome! You brought Happy!" she jumped up and down while Natsu opened up his cage to let him out and Celi instantly grabbed him in a tight hug making the cat squeak.

"How about we let him roam around and we play something, Cel?" Natsu asked before Celi suffocated his cat.

"I have legos!" she let him loose and they both walked to her legos which were still spilled all over the rug.

"Hey Lucy, do you need help with anything?" Wendy was walking towards the blonde who was carrying a pot of rice to the table.

"No it's okay, I already set up the table." she sat the pot down and went for the pot of meat.

"Alright, but I'm helping you clean up, okay?"

"Sure!"

The blonde was eyeing the table. Something was missing. The table was set up with plates, utensils and napkins. The food was there and she had made fresh lemonade to drink with dinner.

"Cups!" she yelled, "I forgot the glasses. There up here somewhere," she walked towards the cupboard, tiptoeing to reach the glasses on the top shelf. She had grabbed 3 but the other one was a bit too deep in there as her nail was barely taping it. She slid it slowly towards the edge. But miscalculated as the glass almost fell on her head, luckily Natsu was looking as he stood behind her, the glass in his hand. His body was pressed against her back and the blonde could feel the warmth emanating from him, as she looked up at him, he was smiling down at her.

Ba-bump, ba-bump.

The blonde's heart fluttered in her chest.

"T-thank you," she muttered and tore her gaze away from him. He moved and grabbed the rest of the glasses to put on the table. Lucy had to catch her breath. What was that? Why was it suddenly so hot in her house?

Everyone was already seated and Lucy was about to serve but there was another knock on the door. She wasn't expecting anyone else.

"Hey Lu!" the short petite bluenette greeted her friend when Lucy opened her front door.

"Levy! Hi, I was about to serve dinner. Please come in." she closed the door behind her.

"I told ya, I'd come by and visit Celi!" she ran to the little girl who was fiddling with her fork and gave her a hug, "I hope I didn't come at a bad time." she scratched the back of her head seeing the scene before her.

"Not at all! Wendy, Natsu, this is my friend Levy. We work together." Lucy guided the petite girl to the empty seat. The siblings greeted her warmly.

Lucy excused herself and went to grab her computer chair from her room so that everyone could sit on the table. When she returned, Wendy and Levy had helped set up a plate for her.

"Aw, thank you guys. I was going to do that." Lucy said.

"Its okay. I'm the one barging in here." Levy gave her an apologetic smile.

"Nonsense, you're always welcome here, Lev." she served the food and sat down. She was sitting with Celi to her right and Levy to her left. Wendy was next to her brother and Natsu was wedged in between Wendy and Celi. Her small round table was full but she felt happy at this turn of events. Everyone was enjoying the food. The pinkette more than the rest as he was serving himself seconds. She half expected for the chat to be awkward but they had been talking of Levy and Lucy's job and talking about the craziness they deal with and their coworkers.

"What a small world, I had no idea you guys worked with Lis," Natsu laughed, "that boss of yours sounds like a character, Erza right?"

Levy and Lucy laughed.

"Character is putting it lightly. She is a force to be reckoned with." Levy added, "by the way, Lu have you picked out a dress for the party?"

"Ugh, no! I don't know what to wear," she sighed. She wasn't ready at all for this party.

"That's right! I get to take care of you tomorrow Celi!" Wendy smiled at Celi who cheered at the news.

"Well, it's tomorrow night. You have a great body, it should be easy to find something." Levy said, "do you even have a date, for that matter?"

Lucy frowned, "I told you, I don't need one!" she spat with a bit too much frustration which caused the bluenette to laugh. Wendy and Natsu joined in on the laughter.

"Why don't you take a friend instead then?" Wendy chimed in and by 'friend' she really meant her brother.

"No, it's just a silly work thing. I'm just going to say my greetings, eat some food and maybe have a drink if I'm forced to and then leave. It's what I always do." she said more calmly.

"Y'know Lu, others look at it as an opportunity to enjoy themselves. It wouldn't hurt for you to do the same." Levy gave her blonde friend a smile.

Levy knew that Lucy was always like this. She needed to enjoy life more than being cooped up in work and mom-life. The opportunity had presented itself now as she looked at the pinkette who was staring at Lucy with worry in his dark green eyes. "Hey, Natsu. You're a friend of Lu's why don't you come with us?"

Lucy's eyes went wide and Natsu almost choked on a spoonful of rice.

"Me?" he croaked and took a sip of water. Wendy was already cracking up in the background. Looks like Lucy's friend beat her to the punch.

"Why not? You both are friends, right? That way she won't go alone this time." Levy gave Natsu a bright smile.

"Lev, maybe he has better things to do than-"

"Sure, I don't mind." he grinned sheepishly interrupting Lucy. But he was screaming inside. He felt he was stuck between offending her by saying no or her getting mad at him by saying yes. But he felt the safest bet was to go with the latter. He was correct because the blonde wasn't mad at all more like stunned, "but, uh what kind of party is it?"

"It's a book launch party the author is throwing. There's going to be lots of food and booze and I wouldn't doubt plenty of cute girls!" Levy giggled, "it's black tie, though so you have to wear a tux."

"Natsu, you don't have to go if you don't want to." Lucy said shyly. The last thing she wanted was to inconvenience anyone.

"Nah, I don't mind! Plus, she had me at lots of food!" he laughed and then frowned, "unless you uh, don't want me to go?"

"I don't mind if you don't." the blonde grinned but she was embarrassed on the inside.

Wendy couldn't help but laugh at the current situation these two were being put in. She gave Levy a wink to which the bluenette reciprocated.

They finished their dinner with light chatter as Levy got to know the siblings a bit more. After dinner, Levy bid her goodbyes as her husband was picking her up. The knock on the door ending their night.

"I'll get it." Lucy stood up and went to open the door.

"Oh, it's probably Gajeel." Levy stood up.

"Gajeel?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, my husband." Levy still managed to let out a blush. She had been married for 5 months now but it was new to call him "husband".

"No way!" Natsu chuckled, "I didn't know he was married. Asshole didn't even invite me to his wedding."

"What'dya call me?" the long raven-haired man appeared from behind Lucy. He rested an arm on his wife's head.

"Hey," Levy giggled and accepted it anyway and interrupted, "we haven't had a wedding yet."

"Well still a heads up would be nice!" the pinkette huffed and crossed his arms.

"How do you two know each other?" Lucy asked still confused.

"Yeah babe, I didn't know that you knew Natsu." said Levy.

"This guy here is my number one customer! Gihihi." Gajeel laughed.

"And here I thought we were friends. You know what, I think I'll go to another auto shop." Natsu smirked.

"You'll regret it if ya do."

"Eh, you're right." he caved and then answered the girls questions, "I met Gajeel at his shop. I'm always going there for tune ups and for car supplies and we also play games online."

"Ah, so you're one of the ones he's always playing with," the bluenette pondered, "the ones who take my man away."

Lucy laughed, "I think it's nice you all know each other."

The couple bid their goodbyes and Lucy went to clean her kitchen while Wendy helped and Natsu stayed with Celi in the living room watching a movie.

When they finished Lucy and Wendy noticed that the other two were awfully quiet. The living room light was off while the TV played in low volume.

"Aww, they're sleeping." Wendy whispered.

Lucy was not prepared for the scene that she saw. The pink-haired man was laying on her couch, his head propped on the armrest and her daughter laid on top of him in fetal position, one tan arm keeping her wrapped warmly and one of Celi's hand held a fistful of his shirt. Maybe it was the low lighting in the living room or something but for a glimpse she could almost picture Loke doing the same thing and she couldn't help but let a tear escape her stinging eyes.

"They look adorable don't they?" Wendy placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah…" She blinked her tears away. This wasn't him. As much as she wanted it to be. But, she'll take it. Natsu was her friend and if he can comfort her daughter in his absence then she was glad she met him.

If only she knew that he was going to be more than a friend to them. That he was what she was waiting for (whether she knew it or not) and what her daughter was wishing for. This was only one of the many moments they will share together.

* * *

**A/N: **Happy New Years Guys! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays or are still enjoying them! I know I did! Even though I worked most of the time. I'm sorry my updates have been a bit more spaced out. I will be continuing to do that with this fic and my other works. I've joined a contest! I'm working on my own original novel in a story contest for this reading app! There's a time limit and I'm going to put all my energy in finishing that story first and then I will continue with my NaLu fluff! I hope you all can understand. Please wish me luck! I have two more chapters done for this and I may post them this month so look forward to that. Once again I appreciate all the love~! -Rin


	12. How about this dress?

Chapter 12: How about this dress?

Saturday mornings were the lazy mornings for the mom and daughter. If she could she'd stay in her pajamas all day she would. The only thing she did was sleep in until Celi barged into her room. But that wasn't the case today. She was awoken by the banging of her front door and the squeals and giggles of her friends.

She squinted at the alarm clock next to her bed. It was 10am. Wait, why so late? Celi was sleeping in late today then. She was normally up by 7am and bouncing in her bed, rushing the mom to wake up. She groaned and stood up before her friends knocked down her door. She grabbed a silk robe to cover her matching silky two piece pajama set.

"I'm coming!" she walked over to the door and unlocked it, "you guys ever heard of phones?" she opened the door and her coworkers slid inside. Levy in a short orange dress, Cana in a black tube top and jeans, Lisanna and Juvia were more casual in shorts and graphic tees. The blonde sighed as they all made themselves at home.

"Nice bedhead, Lu." the brunette chuckled, making Lucy run her fingers through her tangled blonde strands.

"I like those pink pajamas. Looking like a lingerie model!" Juvia chided. The robe was coming undone revealing her short shorts and crop top cami.

"Why are you all here?" she asked in annoyance and tightened the sash around her robe.

"Are you even wearing a bra?" Lisanna asked, staring at her chest.

"No, I was sleeping!" she crossed her arms across her chest feeling embarrassed. Which caused them to laugh.

"What do you guys want?" she asked again.

"We're going shopping!" Levy cheered. She remembered her friend needed a dress and she round up the rest of the crew to join in. She already had everything she needed but wanted to help the blonde. The rest had a few things to buy so they were eager to join as well.

"I wanna go shopping!" the little blonde appeared from the hallway with a long purple nightgown, her strawberry blonde tresses sticking out everywhere, "Good morning…" she said shyly when she saw her mother's coworkers invading her couch.

Cana and Lisanna seldom went to Lucy's home so they hadn't seen the little child in a good while.

"Good morning little Lu~!" Cana ran to hug Celi.

"Good morning! Wow, Lu she is your twin!" Lisanna beamed.

"It's decided then! We're going!" Juvia cheered.

The blonde finally caved when the belligerent bunch wouldn't stop pestering. She made a quick breakfast of pancakes and ate quickly, while everyone ate she changed her pajamas for skinny jeans and a pink v-neck tee. Her hair was in a ponytail and she always opted for a makeup free face on her off days, save for a little bit of mascara and some lip gloss. She dressed her daughter in a yellow sundress and sandals.

When she emerged into the living room she saw exactly what she knew would happen. Her coworkers did in fact made themselves at home. Levy and Lisanna were, thankfully, helping her clean her kitchen while Cana sat on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table. She figured Juvia was probably in the bathroom.

"You all certainly made yourselves at home," Lucy groaned, "thank you, Lev and Lis for helping with the cleaning."

"Alright! Let's go." the pale bluenette came out from behind.

"Yay! Shopping!" the little blonde beamed.

…

Magnolia mall wasn't the biggest mall in Fiore but it was a decent destination for finding everything you could ever need. Equipped with just about every kind of department store for different needs. It harbored a large food court and a movie theater. Not to mention a huge bowling alley. On Saturdays, however, it was it's busiest.

Juvia and Cana had gone to a men's department store, as their partners still needed an accessory. Which left Levy and Lisanna to help Lucy with Celi while she tried on several dresses.

"Okay, what about this one?" She came out of the dressing room while her friends sat on a bench. She looked at the three way mirror in the waiting area inside the large dressing room. It was a loose fitting black dress.

"I don't think that dress flatters you at all," Lisanna frowned.

"I don't like it either." Levy shook her head.

"It's boring!" her daughter huffed. She was sitting on Levy's lap.

"You said it!" Levy giggled, "c'mon Lu, you need to get out of your comfort zone."

"We miss the old Lucy." Lisanna said.

"You guys suck." Lucy exhaled and went back to the fitting room to try another dress. It honestly looked just the same as the last one, except it was a dark purple.

"How about this dress?" Levy knocked on the dressing room door.

Lucy opened the door and her mouth fell to the floor, "you gotta be kidding me," she groaned.

"Try it on!" Levy shooed her back inside and closed the door. Leaving the garment hanging inside.

"How will I even fit into this?!" she said loudly and after more groans and grunts she finally opened the door, "can you help me with the back?"

Levy let out a wolf whistle, "whoa mama! This is it!" she tied the back and pushed her so that she was in full view of what seemed like everyone now as Cana and Juvia had returned.

She received shocked looks and cheers.

"Why do you hide these?" Cana came up from behind Lucy and laced her arms around her carrying a breast in each hand making Lucy flinch and blush.

"Hey!" she crossed her arms across her chest, "it's too revealing." she eyed herself in the mirror. In her head she was practically having a mental breakdown. Her hips had gotten wider, not to mention her derriere also took on a bit of volume and the worst of all was that she hated the stretch marks that adorned her cleavage now. They were faint but to her, it was all she could see.

"I think you look bootiful, mommy." Celi tugged on the garments skirt. Maybe that was enough to make her feel a little better. she bent down and hugged her daughter.

"Thank you, pumpkin." she didn't know why but she could feel herself tearing up and she blinked her tears away.

"So you're getting the dress?" Levy asked and everyone else was waiting for her response eagerly.

"I- I guess so." she sighed. Her eyes were drawn to the cleavage of the dress.

She received cheers from her peers. Then they all were walking towards a shoe store when Juvia interrupted, "Hey girls, I'm starving and I'm honestly really craving a chicken sandwich from 8island."

"You're always hungry now, Juve. You alright?" Lisanna asked.

"Yes! Sorry, I'm just on my time of the month, you know!" she said a bit too loudly, a nervous hand rubbed the back of her neck.

"Right… Well don't overdo it." Lucy added.

"I'm hungry too, mama!" Lucy's daughter joined. Which caused all of them to head to the food court.

The women and the child sat in a table as they talked about what else they needed to buy. Lucy was busy helping Celi scoop up noodles with her fork.

"Oi! Hey Lis!" A familiar voice made her ears perk up as she looked up at her newfound rosy-haired friend. He was waving at Lisanna.

"Hey Natsu!" Lisanna gave Natsu a quick hug and he smiled and reciprocated her hug. The blonde looked away, helping twirl a few noodles for her daughter.

"Natschu!" Celi got up from her chair and ran to him, hugging his leg.

"Hey there!" he patted the little blonde's head receiving giggles from her. His eyes searched for her mother involuntarily until their eyes met.

"Hey Natsu," Lucy smiled from her chair.

"So you're the Natsu everyone has been talking about!" Cana eyed the pinkette. He was dressed casually today in khaki shorts and a black tee.

"Who has?" he raised an eyebrow. Looking at Lisanna and then a quick glance at Lucy.

"I told them you're going to the party with us," Levy smiled.

"Oh, yeah!" he grinned, "that's why I'm here." he looked over his shoulder, he had a garment hung over his shoulder covered in a black bag in its hanger, "I gotta do a few more things so I'll see ya guys later!" he patted Celi's head one last time who was still clinging onto his leg.

"Bye Natschu!" the little girl waved and the rest bid their goodbyes.

They finished their shopping in good time and they each headed home. The dress was hanging on a hook in the back of the car. A haunting sight. She wasn't ready for the long night ahead. To go out in public wearing that. To be accompanied no less and to someone that lingered in her mind longer than she wanted him to. Well, she wasn't prepared at all at what the night would entail and how one single night would change everything in her life.

* * *

**A/N: **I'M BACK! Happy Valentine's day to those that celebrate it! There's a nice cliffhanger for you! This was just a fun chapter full of friendship. :) The next one is where the fun comes! Which, for making you wait so long, will be posted soon! -Rin


	13. Do you want to dance?

Chapter 13: Do you want to dance?

After her shopping trip. Lucy prepared dinner for Celi and Wendy and made sure to have everything prepared for the teen's night with her daughter. After a quick shower she slipped into a satin robe and sat in her vanity. She opted for a full glam look with lashes and a red lip. Her medium length tresses cascaded down in waves. Finally, she ogled at the dress and with a huff she began to remove it off its hanger but the doorbell rang, making her stop midway. _Crap, they're here already! I completely lost track of time! _Lucy mentally pulled her hair out. Slipping back into her robe, she ran quickly to the front door.

Celi was watching TV in the living room and stood up, "Wendy and Natschu are here!"

She opened the door quickly, "Hi! I'm so sorry! I lost track of time and I-..." she stopped her sentence midway completely captivated by the pinkette in his black tuxedo, he had on a red bow instead of a tie. She couldn't see her reflection but she was sure they could tell she was more than blown away by his charmingly good looks, "anyway, please come in! I just need to change into my dress!" she smiled and adjusted her robe, clasping both sides to cover up her chest more.

"Hey Lucy and Celi!" Wendy chirped and ran to hug the girl.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Luce. I'll wait for ya." Natsu gave her a small smile, looking away quickly, flustered by her lack of clothing.

"Thank you! Please come in."she guided the siblings inside. Wendy started playing with Celi and Natsu was quick to make himself at home as he laid down on the couch and plopped his feet on the coffee table.

"Hey Wendy!" Lucy called out from her bedroom, "could you please help me with my dress?"

The teen stood up and walked towards Lucy's bedroom door, "can I come in?" she knocked.

"Yes, of course!"

Wendy walked inside and closed the door behind her, "Whoa, Lucy! That dress looks amazing on you!" she squealed.

"You think? Ugh, I wasn't so sure but everyone insisted on it. Could you help me with the straps on the back?" She was holding the straps with both her hands.

Wendy quickly tightened the back lace up design on her dress and tightened it with a bow, "there you go!" the back is so pretty too!"

She stayed there while Lucy adjusted her black strappy heels, grabbing a small black crossbody bag and shawl. She sighed softly as she stared at her reflection before retreating toward the door.

"You're going to drive men mad tonight, Lucy!" Wendy chuckled as she opened the door for the blonde.

"No, I'm not!" she blushed slightly.

"Hey, Natsu. What do you think of Lucy's dress?" they both stood at the end of the hallway.

"Wow! My mommy looks so pretty!" Lucy's daughter shouted.

The pinkette wasn't prepared for tonight. Honestly, he didn't really want to go. Mainly because he didn't know the people there. He was looking forward to seeing his friends Lisanna and Gajeel, though and Lucy was pretty fun and he'd grown fond of her rather quickly, platonically, of course. And yet, maybe there were other motives. He couldn't help but lose his composure at the sight of the blonde bombshell before him. She was smiling and hugging her daughter.

The way her golden hair literally gleamed in any lighting and her chocolate pools that seemed to drown him with every stare, shined brighter underneath her dark eyeliner, not that he paid any attention to women's makeup but he was looking now. Especially the way her plump lips looked in red lipstick. His mouth seemed to open the more his gaze lowered. Her dress had to be illegal. She had on a red dress with thin straps that attached to her surplice neckline, her perfect boobs squeezed tightly in the cleavage and the way her dress hugged every curve of her body, the tulip hem of the dress split open on the side revealing a large portion of her pale leg. As Lucy bent down to give her daughter a full on hug, he noticed the criss cross back design of her dress. Again, the dress had to be illegal. He was sure she was aware of his staring so instead he opted for the honest option.

"Wow, Luce. Yeah, you look great." he cleared his throat, "well I'm glad I wore a red bowtie. We kind of match!" he grinned. Trying to hide the slight blush that dusted his cheeks.

"Thank you, Natsu." Lucy said shyly. She was painfully aware that he had been staring at her. Suddenly feeling more subconscious than before, "and you're right! We do match." she directed her attention back to her daughter, "I'm leaving now, pumpkin, try not to give Wendy a hard time, okay?"

The little girl had gone back to playing on the living room floor with Wendy beside her, "okay, Mama." she stood up to give her one last hug.

"Don't worry about her, Lucy! You two just go and enjoy yourselves." the teen reassured her.

"Eh, I'll try. Thank you, Wendy." she smiled halfheartedly.

"I'll keep an eye on her, Wen." Natsu winked, "c'mon Luce, I'll be your honorary fun-friend tonight to make sure ya enjoy yourself! Now, let's go!" he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the house. Lucy tensed at his touch but accepted it warmly. His smile was infectious.

…

The drive there was surprisingly fun. The pinkette and the blonde spent the entire time talking about the radio station Natsu was listening too and it turned into an all out conversation of their favorite genre of music and artists. It turned out they both liked similar music. They fought briefly on where the hotel was located and when Lucy was right, the pinkette was quick to admit defeat.

"I didn't know it was way out here." he scratched his head as they arrived at their destination.

"Yes, this is one of the most prominent hotels of Magnolia! I know it doesn't compare to what you have in Crocus." Lucy added as Natsu found a parking spot.

"Here, we are! Now, let's go have fun!"

The blonde exhaled, "I appreciate the enthusiasm, Natsu, but-"

"No, buts. I said I was gonna be your honorary fun-friend today! I intend to do just that." He shut off his car and walked over to the passenger's door, opening the door with a wide grin.

"Right!" Lucy smiled as she held on to Natsu's outstretched arm, "thank you."

The Lamia Scale Hotel was a prestigious place for the rich and famous. It stood on a huge lot of over 50 acres of surrounding woods and an immense garden with exotic flowers and plants, with over 19 floors and a beautiful rooftop bar and restaurant, this magnificent hotel put even The Plaza Hotel to shame.

"Whoa, this place is huge. I've never been here before." Natsu said, looking around the foyer of the grand place.

"I've never been either." she looked around and found the large "welcome" sign that directed them to the elevators to go to the rooftop, "I'm guessing the party is on the roof."

Everyone was dressed in their most beautiful dresses and crisp tuxedos. In a large round table sat Levy and her husband, Gajeel. Next to them was Juvia and her husband, Gray. Followed by Lisanna and her boyfriend, Bickslow. The couples were talking amongst themselves, enjoying champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

"Hello ladies, I see you're all enjoying yourselves. Glad you could all make it-" Erza walked over to their table and inspected the guests sitting in front of her, "but where is Lucy? Is she not coming?" she asked.

"She's on her way, with a man!" Levy answered excitedly.

"Is that so? Well consider my interest piqued." The redhead smirked. Perhaps, it was because Lucy never spoke about dating and was never interested in the subject when it was brought to her attention.

"Oh, here they come now!" Lisanna smiled and waved over the duo who walked towards them with tense faces, "Hey Natsu! Hey Lucy!" the white-haired girl yelled.

"Oi, Lis!" Natsu grinned and waved, "Bix, long time no see!" he walked over to the blue-haired man and high-fived him.

"Hey guys." Lucy smiled walking over to the table, "this is Natsu, my friend, for those who haven't met him yet."

"Yo!" Gajeel greeted the couple.

"Hey!" Natsu went to high five the pierced man.

"Lucy, glad you could make it." Erza smiled at the two, "Hello Natsu, I'm Erza Scarlet, Lucy's boss." the redhead extended her arm for the pinkette to shake.

Natsu, reluctantly took it and shook it, remembering what Lucy and Levy had said about the redhead's temper. Their hands parted and her eyes wandered to the people at the table and Erza's eyes went wide, "Gray! Where are your clothes?!"

Lucy and Natsu's eyes drifted to the raven-haired man with the stripping habit.

"Oi! I just had it on!" He groaned and looked around the floor. Seeing the fallen garments that littered the floor. He was down to just his black slacks. He quickly grabbed his button up and put it back on.

"It's that jerk!" Natsu yelled and pointed at Gray. "You're that asshole from the supermarket with the fat-" Before he could finish his sentence, the man had his hand on his mouth. He mumbled underneath it.

Everyone else was startled that the two knew each other at all.

"W-what's going on?" Lucy looked at the two next to her.

"Be quiet, p-please." Gray spoke, his normally calm composure was completely faltered, his hand still covering the pinkette's mouth.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia stood up.

"It's okay, Ju-" Gray was interrupted by a sharp pain in his hand, "AUGH, hey, you bit me!"

"You started it!" Natsu wiped his mouth, "with your grubby hands on my face, you freaking pervert!"

"Who you callin' a pervert, hot head!"

"You both need to calm down or I'll have security handle you." The redhead intervened. Gray was quick to drop the subject upon hearing her but Natsu's stance was still on the offensive, until he saw the glint in Erza's amber eyes that stopped him in his tracks.

"Anyway, continue to enjoy your night!" she smiled, completely forgetting the whole ordeal as she left.

"What the hell is your problem, salamander? Getting Erza all riled up like that?" Gajeel asked the pinkette. He and Lucy were sitting down at the table.

"Salamander?" Lucy asked with a smirk.

"Oh, that's my pen name on GameStation." Natsu chuckled, "I guess you were right about Erza being scary."

"You're Salamander?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" the pinkette responded.

"He's Icedevil. The one who joins the party but never talks 'cause his headset broke, gihihi." the pierced man laughed.

The men continued their video game bickering while Lucy started conversation with Levy and Lisanna.

"You guys look beautiful!" The blonde smiled at the two, "this hotel is really nice."

"You look amazing too, Lu! I told you this dress was the one!" Levy smiled brightly.

"Where is Cana?" Lucy asked.

"Take a wild guess." Lisanna smirked.

"She's at the bar getting drunk with her equally alcoholic boyfriend!" Levy laughed.

The girls and guys continued their chatting while they ate, the venue had provided a three course meal. They each had a menu and had to pick from the two options. Natsu wasn't too happy with the small portions but he enjoyed the food nonetheless. During the desert, Sherry came by to greet them. Thanking them for passing by and for all the help on her book.

"Please continue enjoying dessert! I hope you stay for the rest of the party!" Sherry smiled and took her leave.

The Fairy Tail publishing staff congratulated her again on her books success.

Soon, the party moved to the dancefloor as everyone started making their way towards the loudspeakers. The rooftop restaurant was next to a wide open space, the island bar separated the two.

"So you're not going to dance?" Levy interrupted Lucy who was talking to Natsu, explaining what the book was about.

"I don't think so, Lev. You guys go and have fun." the blonde responded.

"Do you want to dance?" Natsu asked, trying to hide the shyness behind the question.

"Uh?" She looked at him surprised, his smile was bashful and she could tell he was already embarrassed for asking.

"I did say I was your honorary fun friend!" he smiled away his light blush.

"Sure, Natsu." Lucy grinned shyly.

* * *

**A/N**: Hi guys! I've been away ._. to be honest, I'm not too active in the FT fandom anymore. So, with a heavy heart I say that I've abdandoned my other works on here and this fic is the only one that I will continue working on because it holds a special place in my heart, even with all the flaws. NaLu is still my OTP forever ❤︎ I'm halfway through working on Chapter 14 and I do work on it from time to time but updates will be sporadic. Thank you for the lovely comments! I read every single one! And it's you guys that keep me coming back despite not being in the fandom as much! So please don't stop! They're my life blood that will keep me focused on seeing this through the end! xoxo -Rin


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